Edge of Calamity
by lost-katana
Summary: TMNT Teen Titans Crossover. When Slade and Bishop make a deal, it's up to our favorite turtles to fix it, with the help of a group of superheroes. Especially when it means the safety of a brother.
1. Prologue

(rubs hands together) I have done it! Wahaha! I have done it!

For the longest time, I've dreamt of a TMNT/Teen Titans crossover. I just couldn't figure out how to do it. But now, my stepfather and I have come up with a tale! And it works!

So, here we are. For your knowledge, this fic will be rather long. At the moment, I'm thinking twenty chapters or so.

Hope you'll like it enough to stick around!

Important info! For those of you who might not know much about the DC comics world, the Teen Titans live in Jump City. Other DC cities include Gotham (or New York) and Metropolis (or Chicago).

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not only not own the TMNT, but the Teen Titans are not mine as well. I missed out on the all these big cartoon shows.

&&&&&

Somewhere in Jump City 

Thunderous claps of gunfire and metallic scrapings. The sounds of battle were by no means unfamiliar, but were, of course, altered every time. Old foes, new strategies; new opponents, different methods. Each adversary had unique pictures of the fight, their own desires to come out of the outcome.

A dull and heavy clank revealed the winner. Slade paid no attention to the head of one of his androids, which had rolled into the light.

The quiet, calm steps that followed did not stir him. Nor did the unfamiliar face. A man, looking to be in his forties perhaps, came onto the scene, face void of the joy of victory, but set in confidence. He was flanked by four masked men, each holding a gun.

Adjusting his glasses, the man spoke. "I would suggest you design better sentinels, Mr. Slade. They're not much of a problem for someone who knows what they're doing."

Not even this provoked him. Finally, Slade placed the porcelain cup, holding his tea, onto the table beside him before bothering to address the man. "They serve the purpose well enough. A person who _can't_ get pass them certainly isn't worth my time talking to, much less combating with."

The newcomer grinned darkly. "Interesting philosophy. But let's cut to the chase, shall we? My name is Agent Bishop; I represent a branch of the government. We have become aware of a certain work of yours that, with some adjustments, could possibly aid us in one of our… projects."

"And what might that be?" He asked, gloved hands folded, referring to the matter that Bishop was interested in.

"Your work with nanotechnology is interesting, Mr. Slade. Were you to give us your work, I have resources that could even improve upon it."

Voice monotonous, Slade kept his gaze fixed. "I'm not interested."

The man before him kept his own eyes equally as hard. "Of course, you would not go empty-handed. Everything comes with a price, and _yours_ has no boundaries." He said, hinting to what could be payment in money, favors, power.

Slade allowed himself a grin, concealed under his mask. "You have nothing I want."

Now it was Bishop who grinned. "On the contrary, Mr. Slade. We know more about than I think you realize. There is one thing that greatly interests you, and I believe I have the means to get it."

Mysterious, this government agent was. But Slade felt he understood what the man was talking about. Now he _was_ interested.

&&&&&

New York City 

Since youth, Follow the Leader had been a favorite game among the four turtles, running across the rooftops of the city below them, height and shadows concealing them from view.

For the moment, Michelangelo was the leader. Behind him was Donatello, Leonardo himself, and Raphael. One after the other, they moved in perfect harmony; were they to see them, and partaker in a synchronized event would be green with envy.

Rarely were the motions performed with difficulty. As ninja, Leo and his brothers were able to move easily in ways some other people could do only with difficulty, if at all.

The only thing that brought the game to an end was slight fatigue; they'd been playing this game for a few hours or so now, taking turns being the leader.

Stopping on one rooftop, overlooking the city that never sleeps, the four teenagers relaxed. Donny glanced at his watch. "Well guys, we probably should be heading back now."

The orange-clad turtle raised his hands up to the night sky. "All right!" He exclaimed, checking his own watch. "If we make it home in time, we can catch the sci-fi movie marathon!"

In seconds, Mikey was on the ground beneath them, searching for the nearest manhole cover. Shaking his head, a grin on his beak, Don followed him, with a little less enthusiasm.

Raph was about to do likewise when he turned back around, noticing that Leo wasn't even paying attention. "Hey, Leo. Ya comin'?" he asked.

The eldest turned slowly, brow furrowed. "Yeah…" he said, before looking back once. Cocking his head, he made his way over to where his brother was.

"What?" Raph questioned him.

Leo just shook his head. "Nothing." He told him as they made their way down, quickly catching up with their brothers.

_I guess…_ That's all it could've been. He'd been silent that whole time on the roof, studying their surroundings, and had found nothing. Nothing but the shadows around them; the silent whispers of the night wind.

But, for some reason, he'd felt as if they'd been watched.

Little did he know, this was merely the beginning.

&&&&&

I know, I know. It was incredibly short. I'm sorry! But hey, it's a prologue. I can't give everything away in the first chapter, can I?

I promise the ones following this will be longer, whenever I can get them up. I'm going on vacation now, so I won't see you guys for a week, perhaps. Sorry.

Good news, however! No, I didn't save a bunch of money on my car insurance. But school's over! Technically, I'm officially a junior! Hooray!

Well, thank you for reading! I very much appreciate it! But I'm worried as to how this fic sounds so far, so, if you'd be so kind, please leave me a review!


	2. Chapter 2

(blushing) Hi, everyone! Hehe… it took me a little longer than I'd planned to get this chapter up. First I had writer's block, then I got grounded! It takes a while to write everything on paper.

But I'm back! I promise to try to get these ones up sooner, it's just hard for me to get to the Internet in the summer.

Oh! Guess what? I got a beta reader for this fic! Edge of Calamity is beta read by the great Sewer Slider- Empress of Action! Go read her fics!

Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: The TMNT continue to evade my grasp, as do the Teen Titans, which belong to DC comics. Ya know, you'd think they could spare a show or two- they should be over-extended with the Justice League and Batman and Superman…

&&&&&

New York 

Frowning, Leonardo stood erect, katanas in hand as his eyes silently scanned the rest of the warehouse, breath leaving his body in quick, but soft and measured bursts.

_Three months_; three months of this. It seemed that everywhere they went, these robots were there.

The blue-clad turtle had no idea where they'd come from, nor where they disappeared to at the end of each battle. But between what he'd seen and the feeling that was growing in his gut, Leo didn't think that this was the work of the Foot. It just wasn't their style.

Sure, the thefts involving these robots had always dealt with some interesting technology and weapons- something that was _definitely_ up their alley. But the Foot were secretive about it.

Whoever was ordering these androids around almost acted like they _wanted_ to be noticed. And while it was common knowledge that many criminals loved to see their work as a highlight on the news, reaching thousands of civilians, all of them unaware of the face behind the deed; this person didn't seem to be showing off for the public, but for Leo and his brothers alone.

Several times there had been chances for the robots to get away, quickly and easily, with the snatched item, as always- but in greater numbers. Not to mention in fewer pieces. Yet they stuck around each time, seemingly _purposefully_. It was as if being seen by the four ninjas was an equally as important part of their mission as getting away with the current stolen object was.

Still more baffling, a few other things were sometimes left behind. Like a device in the chest of one, and _only_ one robot, which had been particularly easy to disable; some sort of transmitter, though a sequence had been set off at its destruction that made it impossible to trace back where it had been getting its instructions from.

But that much, at least, had been implied. Not that they hadn't believed someone was behind this- they were robots, after all. It had gone without saying.

Even Mikey had agreed. Whoever this was, they wanted them to know a greater mind was behind this.

Why, however, was a mystery he had yet to figure out.

Again, Leo thought of the Foot. He wouldn't put it past Karai to do something like this- a piece of a large trap to put them into her hands. She probably wanted some sort of revenge after they'd stolen that artifact from Foot Headquarters for Agent Bishop.

The turtle slowly shook his head. No, it just didn't… _feel_ like her. Yes, this was someone new.

He suddenly realized his youngest brother was speaking to him. "Hello- Earth to Leo!" Mikey shouted with a grin, waving his hand before the leader's face. "Anyone home?"

Smiling slightly, Leo finally sheathed his katanas. "What?"

It was Donny who answered. "You might want to look at this."

He and Raph were standing by a fairly intact android, though it was missing a leg. Leo headed over to them, Mike following.

When he reached it, Leo looked at its head. Orange and black were the signature colors of this enemy.

Turning his attention to what his brothers had to say, he first looked at Don, then the hand of the robot that the purple-banded turtle had pried open.

In it was a small, yellow strip of paper, crinkled from the pressure of the fist. Before he'd come over, Don had unfolded it, allowing them to see the message, printed in bold, black letters.

_You have much to learn._

Leo's brow furrowed.

&&&&&

Bishop watched the latest footage recorded by Slade's mechanical squad. His new ally had been studying the tapes for the past three months- grocery shopping and _playing _with the turtles all at the same time.

Back to him, Slade never took his eyes off the screen before him. "I trust the latest trials came out in your favor?" he questioned monotonously, referring to the function of the nanoscopic probes.

"Yes." Bishop replied. "It's working well. You have our gratitude, Mr. Slade." He moved forward, standing by him but also watching the footage. "Have you made your decision?"

One short nod. "I have. I'll be retrieving him within the week."

Likewise, Bishop also nodded. "Very well. Once you're done, we'll be taking the other three."

"No."

_Now_ the government agent turned. "Excuse me?" he asked, teeth beginning to clench slightly.

"You'll have them." Slade assured him. "Just not as quickly as you might like."

"This wasn't part of our agreement."

"No, it wasn't." He said simply. "Consider our terms changed. For the dark and creative genius you employ, Agent Bishop, you frankly don't put it to use often enough. Believe me, you'll enjoy my plan."

A little more relaxed, Bishop adjusted his glasses. "And just what might that be?"

Finally, Slade turned to him. "You get three, mutated turtles- I confirm the choice for mine."

&&&&&

A bowl of popcorn to his right, Donatello did some research on the newest stolen item.

Though he and his brothers didn't usually get involved in so much of the abundant crime of New York, minus that of the Foot and Purple Dragons, as well as a few others they stumbled upon; Don was becoming intrigued by this one.

The style of it was just so strange. At times, he felt like he was watching a talent show, not an organized and well-executed theft.

Last week, bored and full of plenty of spare time, Donny had taken the liberty of compiling a list of everything that had been taken.

About a quarter of it was some highly advanced, as well as classified, technology- stuff he dreamed about tinkering with someday. Research turned up little about it; it was still trying to be kept under wraps. However, from what the purple-clad ninja could tell, its uses were numerous.

Next on the list was a special metal, used for armors and other defensive purposes. After that came twenty, one hundred and fifty milliliter bottles of a highly effective and corrosive acid.

_That _was followed by five illegally manufactured, not to mention purchased, modified Triceraton blasters, smaller for easy concealment, yet powerful enough to get the job done.

Other weapons, _many_ of them, were later taken, of various styles and purposes. Because of this, the five small diamond rings that came afterwards, antiques stolen from April's own shop, had been rather unexpected.

And finally, this last one had been an expensive pair of swords- blades a fine set of steel, handles made of titanium.

Adding this to the list, taking a handful of popcorn, Don suddenly heard Leo come up from behind him. The leader looked it over with a frown. "What do you think this guy's up to?"

His brother shrugged. "I don't know, but I can't think of a single plan that ends happily that involves all of this." He said, gesturing to the page. "Whoever this is, they mean business."

Leo nodded in agreement. The olive-green turtle paused. "Leo… do you think that this might have anything to do with us?"

Turning his eyes to him, the blue-clad turtle nodded again, slowly. Donny knew Leo had also noticed how these androids seemed to be purposefully involving them in their fights, leaving them with strange little clues and messages.

Such as the cryptic one from tonight.

This person was testing them all, coming across them as a clear threat.

In this game of imagined chess, the pawns had been moved for both sides. This new enemy had yet to launch an attack, but it was only a matter of time before they did. As for the other side, their side, they just had no idea what it might possibly be.

Don didn't think it'd be too long before they found out, though.

Sighing, Leo patted him on the shell. "Why don't you get some sleep, Donny? It's late."

Glancing at the clock, the teenager discovered it was true. A few minutes past midnight. _Where'd the time go?_

After switching his computer off, Don headed upstairs, leaving the bowl of popcorn unfinished. He'd had enough butter and was growing tired of it. On the way to bed, he passed Leo's room; goodnight since said, his brother had left for his own bed. Instead, Donny found him surrounded by lit candles, meditating in the lotus position.

Since he'd returned from the Ancient One, whenever he started to withdraw into himself again once problems began to seriously get to him, turning him into a second Raphael, Leo would meditate.

By the next day, things would be much better for them all.

In his own room, Don sat on his bed. This was getting to him too, for reasons he didn't know. Maybe he too would benefit from a session of meditation.

Not bothering with candles, Donny dimmed the lights and took his position on the floor.

&&&&&

D-day. Grin hidden behind his mask, Slade walked to the lab of Doctor Baxter Stockman, an arrogant fool that, nevertheless, created some handy devices.

The doctor greeted him as he entered. "Ah, good morning, Slade. I assume you're here for the items you asked for?"

"Yes. Are they ready?"

"Of course." Stockman bragged, new body being pieced together behind him. He grabbed one of the five Triceraton blasters. "This is the weapon I've enhanced to do as you asked. It will fire four shots of the nanoscopic probes, without the mind control agent, as you also requested. I suggest you don't miss."

Slade remained stoic, ignoring the taunt.

Handing the gun to him, Stockman brought out a curved metal slab with four knobs on it- one red, one orange, one purple, one blue. "Each shot corresponds with the order you see here." Stockman explained, "The first will go with the first knob; and so on and so forth."

Nodding, Slade watched as Stockman attached the piece to a compartment in his arm, pleased that the scientist hadn't gone into matching each turtle up with their color.

&&&&&

Three days after the last battle with the androids, things in the lair were much better- to Mikey, anyways. Leo seemed a lot happier, and not as nervous. Don was able to focus more, and Raph; well, there wasn't really much improvement with Raph. To ask for _that_ would be like asking for a miracle.

They'd been going for a pizza run when it happened. Going across the rooftops, the night sky warm and dark, he suddenly noticed a few extra shadows. Once he'd voiced this, they immediately stopped, fearing a Foot ambush.

It wasn't the Foot.

Some more of those robots they'd been seeing for the past few months were there. But this time, there was nothing stolen- they were here for the fight.

Ready for it, they followed suit. The battle took longer than they thought; Mikey was actually breathing hard by the time they were done. "Jeez," he took in a breath; "how many times are we gonna have to put up with these freaks?"

No one answered his question.

Leo looked around, in a serious mood once more. "They've gotten better."

Donny examined one. "You guys see anything strange?"

A new voice cut in. "No, you won't be finding anything this time."

Looking up, at first, Mikey couldn't see the new figure. But then, he noticed traces of orange and silver, then finally black. It looked kind of like the robots.

Only more human.

More dangerous.

The good day clouded over.

&&&&&

This was the guy- Leo was positive. Mask and armor being orange and black, just like the robots he commanded, he had absolutely no doubts. He was also impossible to read, every facial feature covered, with the exception of his left eye.

Leo tensed up just a little. For some reason, he knew they were in trouble.

The man, as he appeared to be, was no more than ten feet away. With planned steps, he paced very slowly before them, not anxiously, but… in a deliberate way. Like he wanted them to know that he wasn't afraid of them. He was interested.

Centered, he stopped before them, hands clasped behind his back like a military man. "So, if it isn't Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello." His voice was monotonous, and by no means friendly. "I've heard so much about you."

Raph narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"

Their enemy tisked and shook his head. "As smart as your brothers are, I would think that you would've known that by now."

His brother's teeth clenched. From the look on his face, Leo feared that Raph would do something stupid. Grabbing his attention, he gave him a look that said it all before turning back. "Are you the one behind this?" He asked

"Yes." He responded.

Donny thought for a minute before speaking. "What are you here for, then?"

The faintest of chuckles. "To steal something, as I'm sure you realized the moment you saw my androids, Donatello." He inhaled deeply. "Now, enough of this."

Knowing what was happening too late, Leo had no time to stop it. Their new adversary suddenly pulled his hands out from behind his back, one of the modified Triceraton blasters in a gloved hand. He fired off four quick shots; targets being their chests and all making their mark.

The first hit Raph, the second Mike, the third Don, and the fourth Leo himself. And the whole time, all the blue-clad turtle could think was: _Why didn't you do something?_

Eyes squeezed shut, hating himself in his dying moments, Leo suddenly noticed he felt no pain. Had he been paralyzed- his brothers dead around him? That would be a pain worse than death.

But no, he was still standing. Opening his eyes, he found himself only a few inches from his former position. It was likewise with his brothers. Relief flooded him, but only for a few moments.

If they weren't dead or wounded, what had this guy done?

Mikey, seeming to notice the same thing as the rest of them, grinned from ear to ear and danced around before sticking his tongue out at them. "Ha ha! Looks like it didn't work- loser!"

The taunt didn't seem to effect the man of black and orange. He flipped open a small compartment on his arm. Leo noticed four knobs. "Didn't, it now?" Keeping his one, visible eye on them, he turned each knob halfway.

Immediately, Leo felt the strangest sensation coming over him in each part of his body. At first, it was like every part of him was cramping up; then it became tighter and tighter until it was no longer a cramp, but something resembling a giant weight crushing him from within.

Stranger was his appearance on the outside. He was glowing- orange. Forcing himself to look and move around as he fell to his knees, he located each of his brothers. It was the same story for them.

He heard that monotonous voice above them. "It seems to work fine to me."

It went on like that for at least five minutes; up until the point that Leo began to wonder how much more he could take. Then, slowly, it began to die down. As he was able to move comfortably again, he quickly turned to check on his brothers.

They were still in the previous state, in a great deal of pain.

A shadow passed before him. Even as Leo drew his katanas, the man kicked them away, just barely missing his head. Yet he remained calm.

Breathing heavily from past pain and anger, Leo looked up at him. "What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious? I've left so many clues. Honestly, I'm disappointed, Leonardo." A long silence followed, the blue-banded turtle drowning in his brothers' suffering. The enemy was obviously enjoying this. "I've come for you."

The answer surprised him, his facial expression showing it clearly. Bit by bit, he made sense of it; some of the strange little clues, and a good number of the stolen items, namely the swords.

Bowing his head, he quickly raised it again. "If I go with you, will you stop this? Stop hurting them?"

The man folded his arms. "That was a good part of the idea."

"What's the rest of it?"

"Leave them. Forever. From this point on, you are mine, Leonardo. Failure to do what I say will lead to your brothers' death." He paused, letting it sink in. "The rest, we'll discuss later."

Biting his lower lip, Leo looked at them. Down to the ground, they were in worse pain than he had been; Mikey had nearly stopped moving. "All right. I'll do it."

"Good."

Getting to his feet, Leo looked back at him. "Okay, stop it. Stop this now." He said, referring to the pain the man was inflicting upon the three reptiles.

Shaking his head, the man began to walk away, gesturing for Leo to follow. "Not quite yet. Once we're farther away."

"They might-"

He turned sharply to the teenager. "_Do_ as I say. _I_ hold their lives in my hands." He paused. "And don't worry, I won't harm them- as long as you listen."

Looking away, Leo nodded, before going back, planning on retrieving his swords.

"Leave them." The other said, turned towards him. "You won't need them. You won't need anything. You can discard your other items when we reach our destination- but leave your cell phone here."

Wondering if he knew about the tracking device in each one, Leo nodded and removed his Shell Cell to the ground.

He paused and looked behind him. Leaving his katanas was like abandoning his soul- but leaving his brother's was like losing his life.

"_Don't _even look at them, Leonardo. They're a part of your old life. Now you're starting anew." He waited until the blue-clad turtle was caught up walking side-by-side with him. "Now, let's go to your new home." Quoting his previous message, he slowly turned each knob until all three of his brothers were fine. "You have much to learn."

&&&&&

It was several minutes before Raph woke up, having temporarily lost consciousness after the… he had no name for it; could not understand it.

Groaning, Don sat up to his far left, rubbing his head. "Is everyone all right?"

Doing likewise, Mikey nodded. "Man, I feel like a truck ran over me a few hundred times over." Before Raph could agree with that, his little brother spoke again. "Hey, where's Leo?"

Suddenly worried, Raph got up and looked around. Their elder brother was nowhere in sight.

However, not too far away, they found his katanas; in the opposite direction, his Shell Cell.

Back in the lair, a trip that only took about ten seconds, Raph held the first of the two tightly in his hands while waiting outside the door to Don's lab. What he _wanted_ to do was go out and look for Leo. What he'd been _told _to do was stay put, at least until they had some of this figured out.

Master Splinter had been upset to discover what had happened. After a time, he'd decided to go look for the missing turtle among the astral plane. He'd invited Raph.

The red-clad turtle had declined.

Hours had gone by. Raph snorted as he looked at the clock. _Well, maybe only two._

Suddenly, he felt a hairy paw on his shoulder. Turning quickly, he faced Splinter. "Raphael." The old master said.

"Ya find him?"

"Only faintly, my son." Seeing the look of fear on Raph's face, he added, "But not because he is not well- I believe he is trying to stay hidden."

The turtle looked confused. "He's hiding? Why?"

Splinter sighed. "I do no know, Raphael."

Before another word could be spoken, Don opened the door. "Hey, you might want to come look at this." He said.

Stepping aside, Leo's katanas pointed safely to the floor and at his side, Raph went in, their Sensei following. On a table where Mike sat by was a microscope.

"I took a blood sample," Don explained, "of all three of us." Raph rubbed the small band aid over his shoulder. _Yeah. I remember that. _"I found something strange in each of them."

He gestured to the microscope; it had long since been modified by all the alien technology they had. Looking into it, Raph frowned at what he saw. "It looks a lot like the stuff Nano was made up of." He said; referring to the robotic enemy with the personality of a three-year-old they'd faced twice. "Ya think we're dealing with him all over again?"

Don shook his head. "No, this one is a lot different, trust me. These things can float through out bodies forever, undetected… until activated. Then, if it's powerful enough and long enough, it can kill us."

Mike made a face. "Nice, Don. Now, how about getting _them_ out of us?"

Raph nearly voiced the same question. The minute they got this stuff out of them, the faster they could figure out what had happened to Leo.

Walking over to his computer, the purple-banded ninja sat down. "I'm trying to figure that out. I'm doing some searches to see if there's anything remotely like this- Yes!" He grinned. "Here we go- I had to hack into some government files, but here it is. Very similar, anyways." He read off the screen, unaware that his brothers and father were coming up very close behind him. "They're called nanoscopic probes." He read on. "But the solution or cure to them isn't posted here."

Raph rolled his eyes. "So where the hell is it?"

"Jump City." Don answered, highlighting the two words. "Titans Tower, Jump City."

&&&&&

Voila! Another chapter done! And a long one, too. I'm so proud!

And yes, so you know, the Teen Titans will finally be coming into the story in the next chapter. Everyone clap!

So, I hope you liked! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter and to all those who stuck around for this one!

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, everyone! I'm back- and I came as fast as my little fingers would type for me!

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for! In this chapter, I introduce (though many of you already know them) the Teen Titans!

Oh, also, at this point, I don't know where Slade's new hideout is. So I just made one up. And when you read it, I know you'll be thinking how original it is.

…Note the sarcasm.

Beta read by the fantastic Sewer Slider, go read her fics!

Disclaimer: The TMNT aren't mine. The Teen Titans aren't mine. All I have is a monkey hand puppet named Curly, and he isn't a very good conversationalist.

&&&&&

**Jump City**

The mysterious man's hideout wasn't as far as Leo thought it would be, thought it was much further than he would have liked. At least he was still in the same state.

Much to his frustration, it had taken them awhile to get here, but only because there were some _errands _that apparently needed to be done first. Not that it mattered. In fact, Leo was sure that had been what was intended- to arouse his anger.

Especially since he was forced to run some of those so-called errands himself.

It was an old place, abandoned, as many hideouts were. Twilight strove to show in through the dusty windows. As they walked through it, Leo could almost imagine the patients that had come into the old doctor's office once upon a time.

It was small, but big enough for whatever this guy might want to do. Besides the waiting room, which had been stripped of everything but the front desk, there were four other rooms. The man made sure he got a good look at every one of them.

The first was empty, but that didn't mean there weren't plans for it. It was the same story for the one following it. As for the third… it contained every stolen item that Leo and his brothers had fought to return.

Pushing the back of his shell, the man made Leo enter. Following, he stopped in front of his prizes, staring at Leo- blocking the exit. "Take it all off." He was told.

Leo's eyes widened. _What the heck…? _

"_Now._" The man said, more firmly, beginning to gather some of the items.

Never taking his eyes off him, Leo cautiously removed his elbow and knee pads, and then his belt, the sword sheathes falling off as he did so.

He paused as he came to his mask. Since he was small, he'd worn the blue cloth- it identified him, was, in a way, as much of a part of him as his swords.

Even now, the one eye did not glance at him. "That too." He was told. "It's part of your old life, Leonardo. You no longer need it."

Several seconds past, Leo's jaw tightening with each that went. But finally, remembering his brothers, he nodded once, shortly, and untied the knot of his mask.

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

"_Why _did we have to come here again?" Mike asked, looking around nervously.

Gritting his teeth, Raph peeked his head just above the shadows, scoping out their surroundings. "You heard Don. Whatever the heck is wrong with us, the solution is in here."

"Yeah, but… couldn't we just have called them, or something?"

Don got to him before Raph. Which, in Mikey's case, was pretty damn lucky, considering that the red-clad ninja was much more likely to respond with the backside of his hand.

"You know why we can't do that." Don replied.

Biting his lip, Mike glanced up at the huge tower, shaped like the letter 'T'. Yes, he did know why they couldn't just call. But he didn't think breaking into the place was such a good idea either, despite all of the other places he and his brothers had gone into uninvited.

"Yeah, but this is a _superheroes_ place!" He voiced aloud.

The wielder of the bo staff sighed before turning around to him. "We're not going to do any harm, Mikey. Just get in, copy a file, and get out. As long as we're really quiet, nothing should go wrong."

"Should. _Should_. I really hate that _should_." The youngest turtle mumbled as they moved along.

They'd taken the newly remade sub to get here, and it a fairly easy trip; no problems. They'd gone over the plan a good portion of the day and left around nine. After a three-hour excursion, it was about two now- in the morning. They'd waited out the remaining two hours near the tower, waiting for the lights to go off.

Hopefully, none of the Titans would be awake. Not even Mike and his brothers stayed up this late… well, usually.

_Damn. Maybe we should've thought this through some more. _He thought as they snuck up to the entrance. _Do superheroes have a curfew? Probably not, but it doesn't hurt to pray, does it?_

Making sure no one was watching, Raph eyed their surroundings as Don and Mikey came behind him and walked over the panel, which displayed ten buttons numbering from zero to nine. "This is some pretty heavy stuff, Don. Think you can get their access code?" The orange-clad turtle whispered.

"Will ya knock it off, Mike?" Raph growled at him.

"Sorry."

Not appearing to be the least bit offended, Donny went into his bag of tricks and pulled out an attaché-sized computer. "See this, bro?" He said with a grin. "It's called a Security Lock Intervention and Circumvention Knowledge System; or SLICKS, if you like. It's used for penetrating electronic locks and meant _only_ for military and intelligence agency's- unauthorized possession happens to be a criminal violation."

Raph, who had by now come over to see the device, looked at his little brother. "Do we wanna know how the hell he got it?"

"I don't think so." Mike told him, convinced now, as he always ended up, that Donny could handle this.

Setting up the computer, the purple-clad turtle spoke to them. "Actually, this is a modified version of it. I, uh, _found_ a damaged one of these and was able to repair it, with some other components added to make it function. We should be able to use it to gain entrance to the tower."

Calmly, with his brothers having absolutely no idea how this thing worked, Mike watched Don take out a little probe and place it in between the ten buttons. "It's a three digit code, which means there's about a thousand possible combinations. With one number known, we can narrow that down to about a hundred." He explained. Suddenly, his screen flashed a small green word: CURRENT. Donny smiled. "There we go. The middle number is a seven."

Putting the probe away, he took out another wire, which he used to access the circuit board beneath. That done, he took out _another_ instrument and gently stuck it between the buttons, though it seemed that he wasn't searching for a code at that point in time.

On the display screen, the word INTERVENTION flashed before it was replaced by SYSTEM CONTROL ESTABLISHED.

"All right." Don said, hitting two keys on his computer. "Now here's the easy part. SLICKS will send sequences through the system, all with the number seven as the middle number until the lock recognizes the right access code."

Even as he finished speaking, the correct one came up on the screen- 176. With a little beep of acknowledgement from the panel, the doors to Titans Tower swished open.

"Way to go, bro!" Raph clapped Don on the back before carefully entering the lobby, making sure no one was there.

As the olive-green turtle began to pack up SLICKS, Mikey looked at him eagerly. "Wow. Can I get one of those for Christmas?"

Chuckling, Don shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Hey!" Raph whispered to them. "Coast is clear."

Once they entered, the doors slid closed once more. Looking around in awe, Mikey couldn't believe how high the ceiling was. "Jeez…" He said, past anxiety gone now that he was within an actual team of superheroes abodes; "Can you imagine how hard it must be to decorate _this_ place for the holidays?"

_Even if they can fly, it probably takes them several hours. _He thought to himself, turning around.

"Quit gawkin' at the ceiling, Mikey!" Raph reprimanded him. "We got work to do."

"Right." The orange-banded one said, following his brothers into the elevator at the end of the lobby.

When it opened, Mike was greeted with a most amazing den that made the one back at the sewers look like nothing. And while he neglected to take in the fact that making _any_ place in the sewers look _cool_, much less livable, was a pretty big achievement, he quickly began to check the place out.

As he moved over to the kitchen, Raph turned to Don. "So much for being worried about comin' here."

"Mikey's love for superheroes outweighs his fear of danger almost any time. Just make sure he doesn't pocket something to put in his scrapbook." Don said with a grin as he headed over to a computer not too far off.

Quietly, the youngest of the three looked through the Titan's food supply and managed to test some of the stuff that looked to be covered in blue goop. Immediately, he spat it out. _Man, that was nasty!_

"Knock it off, Mikey!" Raph hissed at him, suddenly in the same room. With a smack to the back of his head, the red-clad ninja scanned the place.

The orange-clad turtle was suddenly reminded about why they were here and a pang resonated within his gut. They still had no idea what was going on; why Leo had just left like that. And it was too dangerous to find him with those nanoscopic probes inside of them, ready to work at the discretion of the guy who put the inside the turtles' bodies.

Mike was certain that that very man had something to do with this. He just wanted to know what.

But more importantly, he wanted his brother back.

Sighing, Michelangelo chose to distract himself with the stuff here.

He passed Don, who was busily going through what appeared to be the Titan's extensive files. Wondering how long they'd be here, he walked over to the center of the room and past the couch. "Whoa." He said, pressing his nose to the glass window. "What a view!"

Moving along, he noticed that the window suddenly disappeared. Taking a few steps back, he noticed it was a _huge_ TV screen, which was now showing the GAME OVER death sentence from a video game.

_Forget the SLICKS. I want _that_ for Christmas!_

Backing up, he sat down on the couch, which was quite comfortable. Mike was really starting to like this place.

A foot next to his shifted.

Eyes widening, he looked to his left to find a person green that wasn't one of his siblings. On the other side of the couch, he could see Raph mouth the word 'shit'.

Knowing nearly everything there was to know about superheroes, he immediately recognized the sleeping Titan to be Beast Boy. Groggily, the shape-shifter sat up, blinked at Mike, than yawned. "Who are you?"

"Uh… no one. You're dreaming." Mike said, giving him two thumbs-up. "Yeah, you've just been declared a multi-millionaire and you got super models drooling all over you. So don't wake up."

"Oh. Okay." Beast Boy said, starting to go back to sleep. Suddenly, his eyes opened wide. "Wait a minute…" Turning back to Mike, he screamed and pressed a button on a little yellow device he took out of his pocket.

The alarms went off.

&&&&&

For a brief moment, Raph had the time to imagine a vivid picture of getting a leash of a _very_ short length of Mikey, and with it, keeping him tethered to a solid pillar of granite for eternity.

The image was quite appealing, but Raph couldn't hold onto it for long. Within seconds, the doors to the lobby swished open to reveal four all too alert superheroes.

Raph suddenly realized that he'd impulsively drawn his sais when the alarms went off. _Oh shit. This probably doesn't look too good._

He knew he'd hit the nail on the head when the leader of the group took out his own weapon. "Titans, go!" He shouted.

Immediately, they spread out. In the seconds he had before the fight broke out, the red-clad turtle tried to remember all the stuff they'd gone over with Mikey earlier about this bunch.

For one, there was that green shape-shifter who was with said brother. He'd already turned into a lion.

There was a robot-guy, too. He'd headed over towards Don, who had gotten away from the computer and was shooting a 'What-did-you-get-us-into-now?' look at Mikey.

An alien girl who flew overhead followed this one. Mike had said she was really strong and had some other abilities.

Raven went over to help the green guy. Raph remembered her name simply because he couldn't  
commit to memory the extensive list of powers _this_ one had.

And that left him with Robin. He wasn't a comic nut like Mikey, but who _didn't_ know about Superman or Batman, along with any hero associated with them?

The leader of the Titans leapt forward and they began the battle. Raph didn't think it would be too difficult. Donny used a bo, and the ninja sparred with him on numerous occasions.

With that thought, he glanced over at that particular brother. He hoped that Don had gotten they'd come for.

It was the only thing worth dueling with the Teen Titans over.

&&&&&

When he'd gotten to the computer earlier, Don had been surprised by just how many files were on it. He'd been expecting quite a few, but _this_ was more than he'd possibly imagined.

Needless to say, he hadn't quite yet found the one they'd been looking for when the residents of the tower were awoken.

By the chair, Donny did a flip over it to avoid a punch from Cyborg. As he did so, he took out his bo staff.

_Why do things always have to go wrong like this? _He wondered, ducking to the floor quickly as Starfire flew down at him, then standing back up and blocking her fist with his staff when it came from behind.

Cyborg frowned. "Careful, guys. These ain't amateurs."

_You have no idea._ Don thought, preparing himself as the robotic teen came forward.

Still, observing his surroundings, he didn't have much hope for this fight.

&&&&&

Having knocked over the turtle with the orange mask, Beast Boy morphed back into his regular form, laughing. "They don't seem so tough to me, Cy!"

_Whack!_ He felt wood collide with his chin even as the turtle-like being swept his legs out from under him with a swing of his foot.

"Ow!" Beast Boy groaned, rubbing the sore spot. "Okay, I _might_ have been mistaken."

"Couldn't you just have gone back to sleep?" the orange one said, swinging his weapons. "That was a pretty nice dream I had there for you."

Eyes narrowing, the shape-shifter turned into a wolf and dashed forward, deciding that it would be better not to tell the guy that that actually _was_ what he'd been dreaming at the time.

Beast Boy barely missed him; the turtle jumped away just in time. Screeching to a halt, he didn't bother attacking again, as Raven had a chair flying towards him already.

Now it was the other guy's turn to moan as he flew into the couch. He glanced up at her. "Now how come-"

"Don't move." The dark girl told him, even as tendrils of black energy crackled in place around his chest as a restraint, keeping him from doing just that.

She gave him a strange look; Beast Boy saw some confusion. Then she turned to the other two turtles.

&&&&&

Robin had no doubt that these three were good. The skill being displayed by his opponent alone was proof enough of that.

Nearly every one of his blows was blocked or avoided. Both strained as they came together, weapons grating against one another. "How did you get in here?" Robin questioned.

"Through the front door." The turtle responded, unexpectedly breaking apart and into a roundhouse kick aimed for his chest.

Flying back, Robin rolled to his feet, getting ready for another attack. But the red-clad one didn't move to do so. Abruptly, the 'Boy Wonder' noticed that he didn't even seem to be interested in fighting.

Instead, he looked around the room, searching for his allies. He looked… concerned.

A force of black suddenly wrapped around his body and pulled him towards the computer area, where the other two sat.

The purple-banded turtle, despite his expertise, had been defeated. Robin understood why- no matter how good at the martial arts you were, it was still very difficult to put that skill to use in an enclosed area, as this one had been.

When the third was added to the small cluster, he gritted his teeth as he looked at Raven. "Now _that_ ain't fair." He said, voice betraying a Brooklyn accent.

The purple one looked at him. "Mike told you she was telekinetic."

His companion just rolled his eyes.

Robin walked over, joining his team. Starfire cocked her head. "I was not aware that there were people with green skin pigments like Beast Boy on this planet. Tell me, are there more?"

"I don't know, Star." Robin said, watching them.

"All right." Cyborg said, standing over the intruders. "Y'all got about five seconds to tell us what the heck you're doin' here."

&&&&&

Leo felt alien in the new ensemble that had been provided for him. Both of his hands were gloved in black now, though the fingers had been cut. His feet seemed to be wearing gloves as well, much similar to the ones on his hands. The turtle's old, brown leather belt had been replaced with a thick black one that stored all sorts of items, all of which he recognized from the list of the stolen he and his brothers had fought to keep out of his hands.

A thin, but sturdy metal covered his legs and arms. Surprisingly, it bent with his movements, so it was like he wasn't wearing them at all. A different type of metal, silver in color, was over his plastron and was even designed to look like it.

Going even further, that same type of metal, though black like the rest of the gear, was over his shell and looked just like it, though the missing piece of his natural carapace was gone. But, he hadn't missed the sword sheathes.

When it had been brought out, it was the first thing he'd seen. But Leo had also noticed a symbol towards the top, center piece of this new shell. "What's the 'S' for?" He had asked.

Going behind him, the man began to attach it. "In time, Leonardo. In time." Was all he said.

Now, standing before him, Leo began to wonder about headgear. It seemed that this guy was going full out.

The man stared down at him. "My name is Slade, Leonardo. The 'S'," He began, getting back to the subject they'd left an hour ago; "is a symbol of your allegiance to me. For years, I have been looking for an apprentice- someone to follow in my footsteps."

"And why exactly do you think I'd be a good candidate for that?"

Walking around him slowly, Slade said, "I see much of myself in you, Leonardo. You see, I've been watching you for some time now. You're thorough; astute; dedicated… and I can sense a darkness in you, one which I will augment soon enough. There is far more we have in common in that darker side of you, traits you will learn to enjoy as you serve me."

He came closer then. "I know what you're thinking. At this point, you don't believe there is a thing I can do to make you do these things. But," He raised a finger, "don't be so quick to dismiss our earlier conversation back in New York."

Four screen flickered to life behind him, each displaying the name of his brothers; the fourth his own, separated a little ways off. They showed the insides of all of them, blood cells moving about. Attached to each was a strange little object.

"They're nanoscopic probes, Leonardo. With the touch of a button, I can cause them to kill and your brothers, slowly and painfully, one by one. And you will watch, knowing you could have saved them."

Leo gritted his teeth. "I know all this."

Slade shrugged casually. "It's just a reminder." He walked over and took something out of the dark. When he came back, Leo saw the swords that had been stolen. "You will do everything I say. The slightest disobedience will trigger these events. My probes are inside you as well, Leonardo. If your insubordination causes they're deaths, your own torture will begin. Do we have an understanding?"

Sighing, Leo nodded his head. "Yes. I'll… I'll do whatever you say."

"Good." Slade replied. "Then let's get started."

With that, he handed him the swords.

&&&&&

(claps) Man, I had so much fun writing that one!

I brought in the Titans! I brought in the Titans! What did you guys think? Did I get them down well? That's going to be one of the hard parts about writing this story. Writing turtles is one thing- superheroes another. Robin will be especially hard, with some of the cheesy lines he starts off with villains. I'll be giggling too hard to write!

Anyways, you liked? You didn't? Please tell me!

P.S. The person who can guess who my favorite Titan is gets a virtual cookie!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello one and all! (weeps) I've missed you so badly! The worse thing has happened!

My school blocked (cries for hours) I can only go on at my Dad's. Ain't it horrible?

Wanna know what would make me feel real better? Some long and lengthy reviews!

Just kidding! You don't have to. But I still hope you like!

Oh! And I think only Chibi Rose Angel got my favorite Titan right (though it was her second idea). My fave is Raven. The only leader I like is Leo!

Beta read by the incredible Sewer Slider! Go read her fics!

Disclaimer: I am but a mere mortal. As such, I do not own the TMNT.

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Raph glared up at the robotic teen, gritting his teeth. Nearly a minute had passed since he'd asked them what they were doing, but neither him nor his brothers had answered.

_God, if Mike had just kept still for ten freakin' minutes!_

Realizing what Don and Mikey had before the Titans had even gathered them all together, Raph looked away for a second. They weren't going to get anywhere with the silent treatment.

He blinked. _Jeez, they might even take us to the cops._ And Lord knew _that_ wouldn't be good.

Before he could begin, his orange-clad brother decided to talk. "We weren't really doing anything wrong-"

Robin, who folded his arms over his chest, cut him off. "Last I checked, breaking and entering was still a crime."

Taking over, Don explained. "He didn't mean it like that. We weren't here to hurt anybody or such. We're just here for some information- information that can only be found here."

Cyborg glanced over at the computer Donny had been on. "Information in _our_ files?" He whistled. "Now that's some pretty sensitive stuff. How'd you even know that was where to look?" He asked.

Those files happened to only be available at Titans Tower and in some secure government systems.

Laughing at first, Mike quickly sealed his mouth. "With a computer, Don here can find practically anything."

Wanting to cut the chatting to a minimum, if there had to be any at all, Raph turned back to the group of superheroes. "What we're lookin' for is personal. It ain't your business."

Beast Boy moved in closer. "If it's on our computer, then it _is_ our business." Pausing, he crouched down and looked at Raph, then poked him. "Dude, is that some sort of costume?"

Snorting, Raph said sarcastically, "Yeah, and that stuff on your head happens to be a badly mowed patch of grass, right?"

The shape-shifter stuck out his tongue.

&&&&&

While she could not risk letting loose her emotions, for fear of the consequences that her powers would channel through them, Raven was not limited in feeling those of the people around her. Among other things, she was an empath.

At times, it was like reading a book. Each person had a unique title, a tale full of twists and turns. But they always had something in common with another person. It would be impossible to understand them if they didn't.

These three creatures radiated such interesting emotions. But in particular, though they'd broken into their home, Raven felt no threat among them, not even in the temperamental one.

There _was_ a bit of nervousness, minimal as it was, and some excitement from the orange-clad one. Anger and frustration from the one in red and some of that latter one in the remaining turtle, too. But what she noticed the most was their sense of urgency- their anxiety. Watching them, she realized that it didn't seem to be related to the Titans themselves, however. It was something else.

She assumed that was what their mission tied to.

While Cyborg snickered slightly at the comment made about Beast Boy's hair, Raven brought the conversation back to where it had started. "So what did you come for?"

The red one snapped his attention over to her. "I said that's personal." His voice was softer this time though. Raven could tell that he knew that the three of them couldn't keep this up. He simply didn't trust them.

The more excitable one looked around before turning to his companions. "C'mon, guys." He said. "You honestly think they'd send us to a lab for dissection?" He pointed his thumb towards Beast Boy. "He's green, too."

None of them said anything, not audibly anyways. The red-clad turtle mumbled something, but she didn't catch it.

Nodding, the one in purple decided to speak. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "See, there's something… inside of us. We need to get it out so we can go-" He paused, "So we can go find someone. I think the person who put these things in us could kill us at any time and if he knows we're searching, he might do just that. When I did my, uh, research, I found that you guys were the only other people to have encountered this stuff- and that you knew how to get rid of it."

Now all of their curiosities were piqued. Robin looked at them intently. "What _exactly_ is inside of you?"

"They're probes." The turtles said. "Nanoscopic probes."

Curiosity turned into serious interest. Cyborg took a step forward. "And just who'd you say put them in you?"

His companion in orange shrugged. "We don't know. Just some guy in an orange and black suit."

&&&&&

Seconds after those two words had been spoken; Robin had ushered the team into a space farther away from the terrapins. Cyborg kept an eye on him, hoping that this wouldn't lead to another Slade-freak-out from their leader.

Beast Boy glanced back at the three. "Think they're telling the truth?"

"If not," Robin said, "then Slade's informed them well."

Starfire folded her arms over her chest, stifling a yawn. "As aggressive as they were, they do not seem to be dishonest."

"I don't think they are." Raven said. "I haven't sensed a single threat among them."

Frowning, Cyborg looked at her. He had a feeling that the dark girl wasn't letting on to everything she'd picked up from the intruders, but he decided not to push it. If it didn't come out later, then it probably wasn't important.

Still, he decided to ask her if it didn't, just to satisfy his curiosity.

"Ya know," Cyborg began, "we can find out _real_ quick if they're telling the truth or not. I still got all the equipment to check out what's goin' on inside them- see if the probes are there are not."

Robin nodded at him. "Let's do it."

Less than an hour later, Cyborg had it set up, along with some help from Raven. She might not have exactly _looked_ like she knew computers, but she was far more decent with them then one would think.

"Okay." He said, looking at the purple-clad turtle. "Come up here and we'll check ya out."

Released from the black bonds the telekinetic Titan had placed around them, the terrapin did as he was told. The whole team watched as he walked up to the chair and sat down.

He didn't even _attempt_ to do anything. He didn't try to escape, didn't act out. In a word, Cyborg had been expecting a little more.

Grabbing the first of the large tubes that would aid them in this discovery, Cyborg leaned down. "Ya know, when this is all done," he whispered, "I wanna know how ya got through my security."

The turtle grinned. "Can do."

One by one, the cybernetic teen attached the tubes. He'd always wished that he hadn't had to have used so many; it was just cumbersome. And it was pretty obvious that the ninja didn't like it too much either. As Cyborg was about to add the final piece over his mouth, he frowned. "I feel like a giant sewage conduit."

The orange turtle laughed. "We should know about that, huh, bro?"

The remaining one shot the other a glare before turning back to their companion.

"All right." Cy said. "Let's see what's goin' on inside ya."

Slowly, the images popped up. And there it was. In the turtle's bloodstream, attached to each red blood cell floating past, was a probe.

A probe with an 'S' on it.

Robin didn't take his eyes off the screen. "Well there's the answer to that"

Beast Boy watched as Raven released the other two without a glance. "So Slade's behind this?" He asked.

Hovering an inch above the ground, Star flew over to the two turtles. "It appears to be so." She answered the green teenager. "We have seen no activity from Slade for many months."

"And now we know why." The Boy Wonder said. "Where are you three from again?"

"New York." The orange one was quick to answer.

"That's a few hours away from here." Cyborg said, taking the equipment off of the other turtle. "If he's been there this whole time, then it's no wonder why we haven't seen him."

The red one moved quickly in front of them all. "All right, whose this Slade guy?" He questioned, fists tightening. "'Cause he has an appointment with death once we get whatever these probes are out of us."

Robin moved over to the turtle. "How about we start with who it is that you're looking for and why Slade's seems so interested in the three of you."

Silent for a moment, the ninja finally sighed and bowed his head, apparently deciding to trust them. "Four." He said as Cyborg let the purple one up. "There's four of us."

Starfire came up from behind him, speaking gently. "Is this fourth terrapin the one whom you are looking for?"

The more energetic of the three suddenly seemed to have taken a nose dive in the happiness department. "Yeah." He said. "He's our brother."

Now able to speak again, the other turtle stood. "We have no idea how this Slade guy found us. We're not exactly in the phone book, after all. But once he did his thing with these probes; when we came to, Leo was gone."

"That his name?" Robin asked.

The red one nodded. "Short for Leonardo." He paused. "I'm Raphael."

Mister Security Hacker introduced himself as Donatello. The remaining one was Michelangelo.

Raven arched an eyebrow. "You're named after Renaissance artists?"

"Our father's idea." Donatello told them.

Beast Boy frowned. "Wait, I'm still confused. How'd this all happen again?"

So the turtles told them.

&&&&&

More than happy to be out of the contraption that had proved themselves to be truthful; Don sat on the couch with his brothers. The Titan called Starfire, with great enthusiasm, brought them three glasses with a lime-colored liquid in it.

At first, he thought it was Kool-Aid, or some fruit drink of the like. But then he saw some very small brown specks floating around in it.

That's when he noticed Beast Boy and Cyborg, out of the alien's view, frantically shaking their heads and using their hands to make a cut throat impression.

He looked at the drink, then back to them, wondering if that's what they were referring to. Answering his question, they nodded quickly.

Raph, who had also apparently seen this display, poured as much of the contents of the glass, along with Don, into Mikey's and placed their own down when Starfire wasn't looking.

Cyborg stared in thought. "Seems to me that Slade is looking for another apprentice." He said. The green shape-shifter picked some dirt off the bottom of shoes. "You'd think he'd have learned by now. I mean, the last two didn't work out so well for him, if ya know what I mean."

Robin looked at him, slightly annoyed. "Yeah, I think I do."

To Don's right, Raph moved the glass of whatever-it-was further out of sight. "Okay. Now that we've talked, it's your turn to spill the beans. Who's this Slade guy?"

"One of our worst enemies." Robin was quick to answer him. "He's ruthless, intelligent, and prepared for just about anything. He also has this desire to have an apprentice, as he calls it."

Mike raised his cup to his lips. "And he's had two more before? What happened with them?"

Raven glanced at Beast Boy. "A girl named Terra was his last one. She could control the earth… but in the end, she betrayed him."

Popping his neck, Raph asked, "And the first one?"

"That was me." Robin said. "And if this is what Slade wants of your brother, he seems to be going along the same methods of doing it as when he tried the first time."

Starfire explained the rest. "Slade deceived us. Once we were separated from Robin, a machine fired the probes into our bodies. We had no idea what had happened until we came across Robin later on and Slade activated them."

Putting his foot down, Beast Boy leaned forward. "Do the words 'glowing-hurting-trick' ring a bell?"

Don watched Mike carefully as he put the glass down. "Hey, that's what happened to us!" His brother exclaimed.

Shaking his head, Donny turned back to the Titans. _Mikey will eat anything. _

Raven continued the story. "Basically, Slade can trigger these probes at any time. He threatened Robin that he'd kill us if he didn't become his apprentice."

"To make a long story short," Cyborg said, "we didn't give a crap about that and went to get Robin back. In the middle of the fight, Rob here put the probes inside himself too. Slade couldn't kill us without killin' him, which he didn't want to do." The robotic teen grinned. "Then we kicked butt."

Don looked at him. "So… since you got the probes out of you, can you get them out of us?"

"I don't see why not." Cyborg told them. "Ya ready to become the human vacuum again?" He asked him.

Sighing, Don turned to him. "Can someone else have a turn?"

Burping, Mikey rubbed his stomach. "Uh, yeah. We'll get _right_ to that… but, I think I need to go to the bathroom."

Next thing he knew, Beast Boy was beside him. "What'd we tell you?" He whispered.

&&&&&

**Jump City**

The wind was cool against Leo's face. Jump City wasn't New York, but the tall buildings that kissed the sky, the lights that created an atmosphere of attraction- all in all, the structure of the place was basically the same.

He hadn't been wrong about the headgear. Once he'd explained Leo's mission, Slade had supplied the turtle with a special device that transmitted everything he heard and saw back to the man.

Wrapping around his head, inches away from making a full circle, the device also worked as a heat sensor and provided x-ray vision, if Leo were to activate those functions.

Besides the hair thin veins of silver that ran through the black band, it had no other features. To any onlooker, Leo would appear practically sightless.

He hadn't slept in over a day now, but the ninja wasn't tired. Leaping off one building and onto another, he tried not to think of his brothers.

Tried… and failed.

Leo prayed to God that they were okay, and that, if they found out what he was to become, they'd just leave him be.

Remaining focused on his job, he reminded himself that this was for their benefit. If he was a good soldier and did what he was told, they'd be all right.

&&&&&

Sitting with his hands folded, calm as the boulders that had spent an eternity unmovable, Slade simultaneously watched the video feed from Leonardo's transmitter and a screen that was monitoring a certain number of his emotional readings.

The mutant was agile, quick yet stunningly silent- every move calculated. Nevertheless, his anxiety levels were rather high.

Right now, he was getting absolutely no pleasure from working for him, as Robin had on the first job he'd been sent out on.

Slade knew that would change. The turtle had been raised on honor, fed principles for breakfast, respect for dinner, and loyalty every chance he had.

But, like with all things, Leonardo just needed time. Slade could see his apprentice craved other meals that he'd rarely been able to taste. And when he could have it whenever he wanted, he'd learn to accept it openly.

The man could tell that at this moment, he was thinking of his brothers. So much time of studying him had made it obvious that nearly every move he made was out of the love for his family. Slade would've been a fool to think that his new apprentice would forget them in the blink of an eye.

But it didn't mean he couldn't demand it. Leonardo needed to know that he meant business with his threats.

A beep alerted him to the screens overhead. Slade stood, frowning behind his mask.

Something was going through Michelangelo's system, searching out the probes, trying to remove them.

Immediately, Slade was turning the knob to activate them in the orange-clad turtle. As a second thought, he also did so with Raphael and Donatello.

He wouldn't kill them, though. Not yet anyways. That would interfere with his plan, not to mention aggravate his new business partner.

And after all, how well of a hold could he expect to have on his apprentice if he lost all of his bargaining chips in one day?

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Not quite sure what to think of these creatures, Robin still found a reason, unknown to even himself, to trust them.

And with that trust came the desire to help them. He had no idea what their brother was like, but Robin understood much of what the fourth turtle had to be going through.

But still, there were many of the puzzle pieces to be placed. The picture wasn't clear now, but eventually, it would be.

Suddenly, Mikey screamed in pain.

Robin looked up to see a familiar scene. The turtle was glowing and cringing in agony.

Just as his friends had when the nanoscopic probes had been activated inside their bodies.

He and the other Titans were brought out of their stunned silence when the other two joined their brother, Starfire and Beast Boy crouching beside them, helpless in easing their suffering.

Gritting his teeth, Robin looked out the window. "Slade."

Their enemy had a few new tricks up his sleeve, apparently. But what could they do to stop him?

&&&&&

Not as much action in this chapter, but there will be in the next! I hope you liked it!

Here, I spent some time giving you a look into the Titan's minds, but don't worry- the rest of the story will otherwise be pretty evened out.

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone! I'm back with another chappie!

I hope you like it! There's a little more action this time around.

Beat read by the fabulous Sewer Slider. Go read her fics!

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT. It's not something you can wake up and find as a prize in a box of cereal, ya know.

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Doubled over in pain, Mikey clutched his stomach. _Dude, I've felt this before, and I didn't like it the first time! I feel like I'm inside a blender… man, I'm not making smoothies again._

Just when it was getting to the point where he felt like he was going to blackout, it completely stopped. Eyes squeezed shut, he still remained slumped in the chair. The mouthpiece was removed. "Is it over yet?" He moaned.

Cyborg answered beside him. "Yeah. You all right?"

"If 'okay' is defined as feeling like a pile of crap put in the nuclearwave, then yeah, I'm okay."

Helping Don up, Beast Boy looked confused. "Okay, that was really weird."

"What are ya talkin' about?" Raph asked, slowly getting to his feet, silently refusing to let Starfire help him.

Mike didn't expect to ever see the day when his red-clad brother would let a _girl_ help him up.

Raven was the one to explain. "When the probes were inside of us, we were all affected at the same time when we were activated. The three of you started at different times all together."

The robotic teen frowned. "I don't know what happened. The minute I got to removing them, they were activated."

"Do you think they have some sort of defense system installed in them?" Robin asked.

"I just checked for one." Cyborg said. "Nothing. But I _did_ find something different." The information appeared on the screen. "It's an advanced transmitter- reports if the probes are being tampered with."

Raph growled. "So that means-"

Sighing, Don interrupted. "We can't get them out without this Slade guy knowing and stopping us."

As Cyborg helped take all of the equipment off of him, Mikey bit his lip. "You think he's doing that to Leo, too?"

Raising his hand, Robin walked over to him. "Wait- are these probes inside your brother, too?"

They nodded. "Yeah." Raph said. "Before he disappeared, Leo was right beside me going through the same thing."

Cyborg dropped the equipment in frustration. "Well that explains it."

Flying over to them, Starfire looked at the three of them sympathetically. "It seems that Slade has learned from his previous mistake. He can now activate the probes individually- were he to do so with all four of you being affected at once-"

"He'd lose his new apprentice." Robin finished. "Smart."

&&&&&

Starfire was quickly becoming fond of these three terrapins. Were the situation not so serious for them at the moment, she would've launched into a series of interviews so she could get to know them better.

The fact that they had broken into the tower, a feat that had never been performed before, without the help of something of unworldly power, had been mostly forgotten.

They clearly missed their brother and were very worried about him. The alien girl could relate. Despite all of the horrible things her sister Blackfire had done to her, Star still sometimes found herself missing her.

With tremendous noise and a small flashing light, they were alerted to a break-in taking place at an expensive technology firm.

"This early?" Beast Boy said incredulously. "What is it with criminals? Can't they all just pick a time to break the law when we're supposed to be awake?"

"Something goin' on?" The turtle named Raphael asked.

Walking over to the large display screen, Raven changed the image from the nanoscopic probe to a map of the city, a large red dot marking the scene of the crime. She nodded. "This place is a supplier of some of the technology and weaponry the military uses."

"We need to take care of this." Robin said, mainly to the turtles.

"Can I come?" Michelangelo asked excitedly.

"I'd prefer if you stayed here." He told them. "With the probes inside of you, you may become a liability. Can we trust you to stay here alone?"

Raph rolled his eyes. "I think so. We ain't a bunch of two-year-olds, ya know."

The Boy Wonder nodded slowly. "All right. Make yourselves at home. But stay out of the evidence room."

Cyborg pointed a finger at Donatello. "And _you_, stay away from my computer."

Raising his hands, Don gave him a 'who-_me_?' look. His brothers snickered. "I swear I won't touch it."

Mike sat on the couch. "Anywhere else we're forbidden to go?"

"Yes." Raven said monotonously. "My room."

The three froze on this. The look the telekinetic was giving them clearly conveyed the term Starfire had heard others refer to as 'meaning business'.

Just as the Titans were about to leave, she turned back to them. "There is a plentiful amount of my pudding of sadness in the refrigerator. Feel free to serve yourself!"

&&&&&

When they were gone, Don looked at the computer longingly. They didn't have time to sit around really, but the Teen Titans were being more than helpful. And a promise was a promise.

Mikey turned and looked at him and Raph. "So, who wants to go in Raven's room?"

The red-clad ninja hit him upside the head. "I don't think so, shell-for-brains."

&&&&&

**Jump City**

Breaking in had been easy. For one, he was a ninja. This kind of stuff was like breathing to him. And it was made all the more simple with the gadgets Slade had provided.

The item that the man had sent him to get was well guarded. There were two vaults he had to get through. The first was easy enough. All Leo had to do was sneak into the ventilation shafts, which were also guarded, and move through inside from overhead.

These people were paranoid, but they had a lot to learn. At least they'd had the foresight to keep the shaft from going into the inner vault.

From the shaft, Leo looked down at the dark and spacious room below him. It didn't seem right…

Frowning, he activated the heat sensors in the band covering his eyes. Immediately, he could see a score of lasers guarding the entrance to the inner vault.

As he leaned forward to open the grate in front of him, the heat sensors picked up something else. Two bodies, one male, the other female, were in the room.

They'd heard him.

One was a security guard. He seemed to be doing more than his job, for the girl was in a Domino's pizza uniform, the zipper to her pants undone.

The man grabbed his radio and spoke into it. "Intruder alert-" He yelled, but was cut off when Leo threw a shuriken at the device, destroying it.

Leaping to the ground, he stared at them. He was positive the two could barely see him. The guard raised his gun. "You there! Put your hands up!"

Now clad in black and missing his blue, along with the red, orange, and purple that was so usually with him, Leo just stared before drawing his sword, twirling it around with expert skill.

He didn't want to hurt these people. Hell, he really wasn't planning on it. This show was done with the mere goal in mind that he'd be able to scare them away.

It seemed to work.

Eyes wide, the man dropped his gun, standing protectively in front of the girl. Slowly, he backed up, leading her out of the vault. Leo heard their fast footsteps echoing from behind the metal door.

Sighing, he turned around and used the heat sensors once more to see the lasers. Surely, they were going to be calling for help. He didn't have long to do what he'd been sent for.

Calculating his moves, Leo began to advance through the lasers.

Quickly, he made it to the other side. This vault was much more difficult- entrance could only be attained through five separate codes used at the same time. Each code belonged to one individual person, three of the firm's main specialists who knew how to handle the items, and the president and vice president of the company. All five were very tight-lidded about it.

It gave Leo little hesitation. Finding the hinges, he took out one of the small vials of acid that Slade had also provided. In its protective container, it fortunately did not burn through to him.

Carefully, the ninja undid the cap of one vial and poured a few drops onto each of the hinges. There was a hissing sound as it ate through the metal, then a thump as it sat on the floor.

Being as quiet as possible, Leonardo gently pushed it, trying to make enough room for himself to get through. It took most of his strength, he knew he was going to be hurting in the morning; and it grated loudly against the floor as it moved, but eventually he was able to create a space wide enough for entrance.

Breathing slightly heavy, he squeezed through. The inner vault was huge. Frowning, he began to look for the item.

&&&&&

**Slade's Hideout**

Slade watched the video feed with a small sense of awe. Leonardo was very good at what he did. He was quick, did not hesitate when something needed to be done, and was rather brilliant with his plans.

Oh yes. He'd chosen correctly.

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Pouting, Mike began to raid the fridge. Don and Raph had gotten to the video game controls before he had and were thus playing without him. And it was a shame too, because the Titans had some _awesome_ games.

Returning to the menu of blue goop, among some other things, Mike found a pizza and began chomping on it. It was untainted and delicious.

And then he noticed a bowl behind it. Taking it out, he realized it looked like pudding and recalled what Starfire had said before she left.

Now, while he had made the horrible mistake of drinking what the alien had given him, he wasn't going to fall for this one.

But his brothers might if they weren't paying attention.

_Oh yes. It's time for revenge._

Happily, Mike found two smaller bowls and filled each with the pudding. He walked back to the couch. "Here, bros!"

Both took them. "Thanks, Mikey." Don said. But he didn't take a bite. In fact, he looked a bit mischievous himself.

Raph, however, took a large spoonful, only to spit it out the moment it hit his tongue. Dropping his remote control, he looked at the bowl. "What the hell is this stuff?" He asked. "It tastes like toenails!"

Grinning, Mike quickly grabbed the remote. "Why thank you, Raph!" Thumbs moving quickly, he picked up the game where his brother had left it off.

&&&&&

**Jump City**

As soon as the lasers had been deactivated, the Titans moved through the vaults, eventually getting into the inner room. It was dark, so Cyborg took out the flashlight stored in his shoulder.

At the far end of the room, a black figure appeared among the things. Moving quickly, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Titans, go!" Robin shouted.

Turning into a bird, Beast Boy flew off with Starfire and Raven, searching for the intruder, while Cyborg and Robin ran to cover the ground area.

There was a blast from one of Starfire's starbolts as it hit the wall. The thief had been standing on a group of boxes. He jumped to the sides with amazing speed and agility, avoiding the shot and landing perfectly on another stack.

Now a dinosaur, Beast Boy reached the height of the culprit's level and roared. A burst of smoke immediately went off and the green Titan began coughing. With a running jump, he leapt off the top of the shape-shifter's head and flipped through the air, ducking down as Cyborg tried to hit him.

There was a round container in his hand. He pocketed it and rolled out of the way of the next hit, coming closer to Robin. As the leader of the Titans nearly connected a kick, the intruder grasped it in his hand and flipped him out of the way.

Landing on his feet, Robin watched him as he ran into another aisle of the military items. Throwing a bird-a-rang, he heard it connect with the metallic mask he was wearing with a _clang_ and a spark. But he kept on running.

Robin had to blink. For a minute, he could've sworn that this guy, though covered in darker colors and becoming almost a figment of the night, had _green_ skin.

Above his head, he heard Raven. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She shouted, telekinetically toppling over a different stack of items, unbreakable, thank God.

Though he got hit by one of two, the criminal came out of it fine. He was good at what he was doing. And what he was doing, Robin had seen not even two hours before.

The others stopped attacking. It seemed to Robin that they had seen what he had. Just as the guy was about to disappear once more, heading for the door, Robin called out to him. "Leonardo! Stop!"

&&&&&

Leo froze upon hearing his name. He had no idea who these people were- how did they know his name?

When the teen who was talking had thrown his weapon at his mask, it had done some damage. A message saying VIDEO TRANSMISSION LOST had appeared on the screen.

But Slade could still hear this conversation. Leo prayed that it wasn't going to be bad.

Another person, the only other one he'd seen that was also green besides his siblings, stepped forward. "Dude, that's their brother."

_Brother? _Leo's heart nearly stopped. These guys knew his brothers! But that had to mean his brothers had come looking for them.

_Oh shell. _This was bad.

The first one spoke again. "Listen, we know exactly what's going on. This Slade guy, you don't have to do what he says. You can get out right now."

Shaking his head sadly, Leo began to back up. He opened his mouth to speak, but knew he couldn't. Not without getting caught.

Upset, he took off, not paying attention to the group's request for him to stop. Twisting and turning through the halls of the strange items, he tried to lose him, but could hear the two girls above him, trying to stop him.

Ducking under a bridge-like stack, he slowly crawled through the mess, a shadow in the darkness. They couldn't see him, but were looking for him.

As he was going, he found some paper.

Audio was still working, but video was gone. Taking a risky chance, Leo took a pen he had and began scribbling down a message.

Then he made it through the maze and bolted for the door, dropping the piece of paper to the floor and slipping out of it.

By the time they saw him, Leo was already gone.

&&&&&

Raven was the first to the door. Sighing, she picked up the piece of paper.

A lot of distressing emotions were running through Leonardo, and they were made clear in his note.

_If you know what's happening, than you know why I can't just leave and return to my family. Please tell them I'm sorry and that I love them. And that, for their sakes, they have to leave me alone._

Sighing, Raven shook her head and handed the letter over to Robin.

&&&&&

Another chappie done! Hope you liked! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Dear God, it seems like just yesterday I was writing the fifth chapter for this story! Where did the time go?

(blinks) Man, I'm only sixteen and I'm sounding like I'm sixty. Ugh.

Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. As anyone who knows me is aware of, this is my first crossover, and I've been working hard on it. Any Titan fans, feel free to make any kind suggestions regarding them- but I'm hoping I have them in character.

However, nine main characters are hard to keep in frame, so ya know what to do.

Please enjoy!

Beta read by the amazing Sewr Slider! Check out her fics!

Disclaimer: I own not the TMNT nor the Teen Titans, though I do own every DVD that has been released regarding their TV shows- for _both_ cartoons.

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Needless to say, Raph and his brothers had not been all that enthusiastic about Leo's short message.

He was still trying to get over the fact that their former leader had been _found_ so quickly. Throwing _where_ they'd found him along with what he was doing in his new wardrobe into the mix, and Raph's taste buds didn't agree with the recipe at all.

Shaking his head, he had to read the note again.

_If you know what's happening, than you know why I can't just leave and return to my family. Please tell them I'm sorry and that I love them. And that, for their sakes, they have to leave me alone._

Apparently, the Titans had tried to stop him. Well, that _was_ what had happened, according to them. They'd talked to him, he'd looked like he'd wanted to listen, but then he ran, leaving nothing but this paper in his wake.

Raph grit his teeth, rereading that last line. _If you know _us_, bro, then you know we ain't gonna do that._

"I knew we should've come." He said angrily.

"Leo wouldn't have come back with us either, Raph." Don said sadly. "If it dealt with our safety, Leo would jump off a cliff with his katana at his throat."

Mikey winced. "Thanks for the visual, Don."

Since their return, the Titans had given them plenty of space, though they'd remained within earshot. Robin stepped forward. "We'll help you get him back."

Raph snorted. "Even if you _couldn't_ help, we'd get him back. I ain't losing a brother."

Agreeing with him, Mikey yawned. Starfire's large green eyes regarded them sadly. "Perhaps you should rest. Your day has surely been exhausting."

"Yeah, with breaking into our place and all." Cyborg said, though in a joking manner. He continued, though a bit more serious now. "Besides, if you wanna keep looking for your brother, sleep'll do ya a world of good."

Mike leaned back. "Sleep sounds _great._" He exclaimed. "The only thing that would cheer me up more is if it came with a triple-layered chocolate cake and a bunch of giant, plastic bugs to scare Raph with."

Beast Boy perked up. "Hey, I got some of those!"

"Really?" His orange-clad brother asked, a large grin growing on his face.

Placing a hand over his eyes, Raph shook. "Great. That's all we need. Another Mikey."

Porcelain skin in perfect contrast with her dark clothing, Raven looked at him. "All _we_ need is another Beast Boy." She said sarcastically. "Thanks for bringing him."

&&&&&

While their temporary beds were being set up, Don excused himself to the hallway to make a phone call. They'd be taking a short nap in sleeping bags in the living room while the Titans left for some breakfast, promising to give them some quiet.

But before they slept, Donny had something important to do. He had to call Master Splinter.

The phone rang for quite a while, but he knew not to hang up so quickly. Splinter had never been good with the Shell Cells, or any electronic devices for that matter.

Sure enough, the rat finally answered, though not in the usual greeting. _"-confounded thing. I must ask Donatello to make some sort of instruction manual-"_

"Hello?" Don asked, trying not to laugh. "Master Splinter?"

"_Ah, Donatello. It is good to hear from you, my son. Did you retrieve the information you sought?"_

"Well, kinda yes and kinda no, Sensei." Don told him, going into the whole story, including the Teen Titans, Slade… and the encounter the team of superheroes had had with Leo.

"_Hmm…"_ Splinter appeared to be in thought. _"This is rather distressing, Donatello. I am glad to hear you have made allies in this time of need, my son, but the information they have provided does little to ease my worries." _He paused._ "Nevertheless, I am certain that you will find Leonardo."_

Don nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Thank you, Sensei. I gotta go now, but I promise I'll call you later, okay?"

"_Yes, my son. Please say hello to your brothers for me, and know that I am with you, no matter what."_

&&&&&

**TMNT Lair**

When Master Splinter hung up, he placed the Shell Cell in front of him, frowning, in thought, worry, and sadness.

So far, the Titans had proved to be a blessing. With their help, the chances of getting Leonardo back were far higher than before. It was much better, in confronting an enemy, to have allies beside you that knew the behavior of the foe.

Yet the fact that his eldest was being forced to be an 'apprentice' for this Slade was most disturbing.

He had to contact Leonardo.

Delving into the astral plane, Master Splinter sought out his son. Before, Leo had eluded him, guarding against Splinter so as to protect his brothers, the rat was sure.

But now, those guards were down, broken by some of the emotion running through the turtle. He found him.

_My son…_

He could feel Leo twitch mentally. _Sensei, what are you doing here?_

_I know what ails you, Leonardo. I know what has happened._

_Master Splinter, I can't let them come get me. He'll kill them. _

Frown deepening, Master Splinter sighed. _Leonardo, you have faced many enemies before. And in the end, you have conquered; done what needed to be done. I am positive you will find a way around this. You are giving up to soon-_

_Don't you think I know that? _Leo cried out, his anguish and anger pouring out in that simple inquiry. _But I don't know what to do yet! Slade holds all the cards right now, and all I have is the knowledge that I have to do what he says. Sensei, I don't know if I can figure this one out._

_My son, I have faith in you. But this is not something you can do on your own. Allow your brothers to help you._

Leo was silent for some time, but Splinter could feel all of his son's frustration, anxiety, and pain going through him. And all of the love behind it.

_I'm sorry, Master Splinter. _Leo finally said to him._ I'll figure this out… Just leave me alone._

And then all of those former blocks went up again.

&&&&&

**Slade's Hideout**

The optical device removed, Leo stood, head bowed, before Slade. The man was replaying the audio over and over again from the heist. Though he never looked at him, keeping his eyes on the black screen, the turtle swore he could feel his captor's one eye bore into him.

The leader of the team. _"Leonardo! Stop!"_

The green shape-shifter. _"Dude, that's their brother."_

Back to the leader. _"Listen, we know exactly what's going on. This Slade guy, you don't have to do what he says. You can get out right now."_

Rewind; play again.

Rewind; play again.

Finally, quiet.

Leo quickly discovered he'd been better off with the audio.

Still not looking at him, Slade locked his fingers. "The fact that your brothers are actually in this city is more than a little vexatious. The fact that they have connected with this group, though it presents a fun challenge, is quite ironic… and a sad turn of events, on your part." Getting up, clad in orange and black, Slade walked over to him. "Do you know who those people are?"

Shaking his head, Leo said, "No."

"I do. And now, apparently, so do your brothers. While I'm confused as to how exactly they met up, I can think of one possibility…" Trailing off, he got back on subject. "They are the Teen Titans, Leonardo. I've had many encounters with them before. To put it simply, we're not the best of friends."

"You afraid of them?" Leo asked, unable to resist to put in such a remark.

Slade turned sharply. "No, by any means. In fact, I tend to remain one step ahead of them. But this is not what concerns me." He stepped closer. "What concerns me is the fact that your brothers are here and are trying to find you. What concerns me is that still you care for them more than anything else in this world and you might try to return to them, though you've sworn your allegiance to me."

Getting a horrible feeling in his gut, Leo gritted his teeth, fists clenching as he tried to remain calm.

"I explained clearly to you in New York that you were to forget them. But I know you haven't. It would've been far better if they'd stayed there, but since they haven't, I am forced to take drastic measures." Slade informed him, flipping open the compartment on his wrist, revealing four knobs. "You can have no distractions."

Eyes wide, the turtle burst forward. "No!" He shouted, leaping into a spin kick aimed at Slade's chest.

The man caught it, just in time. He tried to flip Leo to the floor, but the ninja was quickly able to find his footing. "You are loyal to me and me alone, Leonardo. This display is doing little to help you. Especially when you are not a threat."

Leo drew his katanas. "We'll see about that."

But just before he moved to strike, Slade raised his hand to the purple knob, holding it there. "Your choice."

There was no way he'd be able to stop him in time. Feeling weak, Leo looked at him. "Please. You can't-"

"Actually, I can." Slade said monotonously. "I've taken many lives before; another is of no consequence to me. In fact, it's even easier than all of the others. Just twist." His eye bored into Leo. "One twist, and one dead brother."

"Don't." He begged. "I swear, I won't try anything. Just don't hurt them."

Showing no change of heart, Slade walked closer, still too far away to reach with a katana. "If I tell you to steal, will you steal?"

Not minding to bring up the item that now lay on a metal desk not too far away, Leo stared right back. "Yes."

"If I tell you to destroy, will you destroy?"

"Yes."

He could almost hear the grin. "If I tell you to kill, will you kill?"

Leo's heart caught. Never had he taken an innocent life. He valued life; honor was written in his very DNA.

But so was family.

"Yes." Leo finally said, though in a whisper. _But not if I can't help it…_

Silence. "Yes, what?"

He wasn't asking for an affirmation. Searching his face, Leo realized he was asking for a title- one which belonged to someone else, but one he deemed belonged to him.

_I'm sorry, Sensei…_

Bowing his head, showing nothing but utmost humility, Leo breathed in deep. "Yes… master."

He heard the panel to the compartment close. "Good boy."

&&&&&

When the turtle had left, Slade walked over to the metal table and picked up the item he'd had Leonardo retrieve. Calmly, he tossed it up into the air, caught it, and placed it back down.

He'd be making a weapon out of this. Of course, some other pieces needed to be collected first, but it was only a matter of time. This, however, was by all means the most important to the firearm.

A potent biological agent, it could kill faster than the Black Death if used correctly. Only it wasn't as contagious.

Slade pondered over the exchange he's just had with his new apprentice. Never had he seen such obedience in a youth. It was wonderful.

And yet… at the same time, it disappointed him, though only a little. When Robin had been his apprentice, they'd gotten into a duel of their own, but it hadn't ended as quickly. With the Boy Wonder, he'd had to teach him a lesson in who was the stronger of the two, even if Robin hadn't far to go.

Leonardo already was aware of who had the upper hand. He'd given up quicker than expected.

Nevertheless, Slade was more pleased than disgruntled. Loyalty had proven to be an important factor in choosing an apprentice, considering how the last two had betrayed him.

And he was pleased in another matter.

So astute was this turtle, even more so than Robin had been. Slade could see the wheels turning in Leonardo's head. Oh, he was cautious, all right. But he was also planning something.

A challenge, this one would be. Slade grinned. He loved a good challenge.

&&&&&

Okay, I know. Short, not too much action, but I kinda like this chapter.

It was a little centered on the TMNT this time, but it really will get balanced. I swear. And there'll be more action next time.

So, I hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Ugh! I got a headache. But I must write! I must!

So… hi. Yeah. I have a headache. (snickers)

(bows) I know I promised more action guys, but I really have writer's block. I _was_ going to have a cool scene, until I realized that certain parts conflicted and it simply wouldn't work.

Thus, we have a short, in-between chapter while I try to figure everything out again. You have my humblest apologies.

C'mon! Please forgive me! _Please?!?!?_

Oh yeah, once again, I'd like to remind you that in the DC comics world, Gotham is considered to be New York and Metropolis Chicago, so you don't get confused if I mention them.

Beta read by the remarkable Sewer Slider! Check out her fics!

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT and I don't own the Teen Titans. To do so would involve me taking over Mirage _and_ DC comics, which would make me rather rich. Ah, to dream.

&&&&&

**Jump City**

Sitting outside at a morning café, the Teen Titans began to eat their breakfast. This early, it wasn't very crowded, and with excellent food that made the taste buds jump up to do the tango, the atmosphere was quite comfortable.

Robin and Cyborg were having breakfast sandwiches with all the fixings, including mouth-watering ham, bacon, and eggs: over-easy for the leader and sunny side up for the robot. Beast Boy had gone with a veggie omelet and a side of tofu, which he was devouring like the animals he could change into. Raven had two slices of toast, some bacon, and a cup of tea. No one was quite sure what Starfire was eating, besides the fact that it was covered in mustard, and it was best that they kept it that way.

Taking another bite of his meal and licking his fingers, the green changeling admired some of the pictures hanging on the wall. "So, how much do we know about this guy, anyways?"

Having talked to the three turtles before they'd left the Tower, the Titans were trying to go over all the information they had. It was important to try and figure out what Slade was up to- different apprentices meant different skills, different skills meant different jobs.

Even if those jobs ultimately led up to the same goal. _That_ was what they were trying to avoid.

"Well," Robin started, "he's a ninja. A very good one too. Which is probably one of the topmost reasons why Slade took him."

Agreeing, Cyborg pushed his plate away. "They're also kinda off the radar- or they try to be, I guess. Makes sense, with all the stuff hanging over their heads. But it makes ya wonder how Slade found them; they live all the way in Gotham, after all. Kinda out of his territory."

"Not really." Robin countered. "Not if what you want can only be found in one place. But that is a good point. With their lifestyle, he probably had help. Do they have many enemies?"

"Several." Starfire said immediately. "I questioned to them about it." She suddenly looked confused. "They spoke to me of a kitchen utensil that led a clan of feet, as well as a leader of a religious sect who cruelly pursues aliens. They also mentioned a woman of melancholy who Leonardo feels particularly betrayed by. I have never encountered such people. Tell me, are villains of your world typically this peculiar?"

The other four Titans stared for a long minute before blinking. Raven took a sip of tea and placed the blue mug down on the table lightly. "I think I'll ask them next time."

&&&&&

Silence was an interesting stage of time. At times, it made an irreplaceable ally; at others, it was a disturbance as pure as the terror so many people found in their lives, enhancing each noise until it was full paranoia.

Leo hadn't slept well. Slade had allowed him to go to one of the rooms in the building to rest, and though he tried, he'd only managed to sleep for a little less than an hour. He was exhausted, but too worried about what might happen if he let his guard down for too long.

If Slade would go back on their agreement and kill his brothers without him being able to stop him.

Now, as the sun kissed the clouds in a morning greeting, the people of Jump City began to start their day with yawns, coffee, and favorite radio stations. It was the same in every city, Leo supposed, only different in matters of perspective.

Slade had another job for him. So early, too.

Leo held the retrieved object in his hand. It hadn't presented much of a challenge to get- and the little joy he was experiencing was the pleasure in not getting caught. There was always a chance Slade might ask him to kill someone, as the turtle had regretfully promised.

He only lurked around because, beneath him, he had spotted the five people his new master had called the Teen Titans. Leo watched them carefully. They seemed like kind people- good people. Ones he could trust the care of his brothers too.

Now only if they'd leave him alone.

The headgear he'd used in his first mission was being repaired, so Leo's face was naked in the daylight. And while this meant he had a little time to watch the Titans and examine the city, he felt vulnerable out here.

At home, only the absolute _rarest_ of occasions had his family risked going out in the daylight, for fear of being seen. He still worried someone would look up and cry out…

"_You haven't moved for a while."_ Slade's voice came to him. For now, he had an earpiece that was attached to his head through nerve endings- only Slade could take it off.

"Just wanted to look around. Get familiar with the territory." Leo replied casually.

Slade chuckled coldly. _"And I thought you were worried about going out in the daylight."_

"I thought _you_ said I had nothing to worry about."

"_You don't, my apprentice. Working for me gives you a great deal of power. You no longer have to worry about what could go wrong if someone catches a glimpse of you. While they will always fear you, it will no longer be in horror, but in reverence and obedience- as you are to me."_

Leo breathed in deep and listened to the Titans some more. He'd watched Slade work on this device earlier- it wouldn't be able to pick up on what the superheroes were saying. "I'll be back in three." He told Slade, ignoring the speech.

"_I'll be expecting you."_ Slade told him. _"If anyone gets in your way, kill them."_

Breath catching in his throat, Leo was quick to release it. "Yes," He began, then remembered to add, "…master."

Just as he was about to go, the dark, female Titan looked up, as if she realized he was there.

Leo froze, looking down at her. He knew that she could see him- she was looking right at him. God, he didn't want to kill. _Just look away, look away._

Raising an eyebrow, she did just like that, as if she'd read his mind or knew what he'd wanted. Leo breathed out in disbelief, not understanding why.

As he took a step backward, a piece of paper floated up with incredible silence. It all happened in seconds- so fast, that no one else could've seen it. The paper floated in front of him. Without touching it, Leo read it.

_Your brothers say they're not going to give up that easily._

&&&&&

**Slade's Hideout**

A ringing sound made Slade turn away from the monitors he was watching. His technology was far more sophisticated than cell phones, but Agent Bishop had wanted to keep in contact.

The line was secure, and the device was advanced, so Slade had agreed.

Bishop started before Slade could, not that he had any intentions of doing so. _"I'm curious, Mr. Slade, as to what exactly your plans are for the remaining turtles. By now, I should have them in my possession and prepared for research."_

"Easy, Agent Bishop. You're a very busy man, you wouldn't be wanting to take too many projects on at one time."

There was a chuckle from the other end. _"I've yet to reach my limits. And as for the other project, it's moving along smoothly, thanks to your assistance. Believe me, if it weren't for that, we wouldn't just be having a simple phone call."_

"I already informed you," Slade said, voice still as monotonous as ever, "you will get them soon enough. As you have to prepare certain subjects, I have to _prepare_ my apprentice for the events to come. Skilled as he is, he still has one too many soft spots."

A pause, one of interest. _"What exactly are you planning to have Leonardo do?"_

"Why, deliver you your _package_, Agent Bishop."

"_Clever. But he'll never go along with it."_

"Ah, never say never." Slade said. "The future holds many twists and turns in life. And Leonardo is about to go through the roller coaster of his. And he has no idea what's coming next."

&&&&&

I told you it'd be short, but it was actually longer than I expected. That part with Leo wasn't originally in this.

Anyways, I gotta take a little break on this story for a while. Not too long, I swear. Just two weeks or so. Until I get a muse. I need to work on Infection, and I got a little one-shot that's been cooking in the nuclear oven they call my brain for a while now.

So I hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

It's me again! After my little break, in which I'm still gushing over my other fic, I decided to glue myself to the computer chair until a write a nice chappie for this story!

You can image how long this is gonna take…

Okay, getting to work! Enjoy!

Beta read by the remarkable Sewer Slider- go read her fics!

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

By the time the Titans had returned home from their breakfast, only one of the turtles had awoken. Donatello looked as if he'd just gotten up; he was still sitting on his sleeping bag, yawning.

He grinned when he saw them. "How was your breakfast?" He asked.

"Great!" Beast Boy said, coming over in their direction with a white bag in his hand. "I brought you back something in case you guys were hungry."

"Thanks." Don said, excepting the bag when it was handed to him. Looking inside, he raised an eye ridge. "Is this tofu?"

The changeling beamed. "Yep! Great stuff!" Still grinning, he walked into the kitchen and placed some leftovers in the fridge.

Cyborg walked over, a bag in his hands as well. "And _I_ brought you back some real food. Trust me- _these_ are breakfast sandwiches; they make McDonald's look about as good as BB's tofu."

"Hey, I heard that!"

Sniffing the air, Mike sat up. "Mmm… do I smell food?"

Don took a sandwich out of the bag and tossed it to his brother. "Yep. Here you go."

Unwrapping it, Mikey began to drool. "Bacon? Eggs? Sausage? Cheese?" He took in another whiff and looked at Cyborg. "Are you like a version 2.0 angel?"

Starfire giggled at the comment, watching as a sandwich was given to Raphael and the three began to eat.

When Don was halfway through with his breakfast, he noticed that Raven had stuck around and was looking intently at the three of them. Besides Robin, who was taking out the trash, the other Titans had gone off to do other things within the tower. "What is it?" He asked.

"Nothing." She said, continuing to watch them. But when Robin left the room, leaving the four of the alone, she spoke again. "I need to talk to the three of you."

Raph looked up. "What about?"

"When we were at the café," She began, "I felt a presence. I looked up and saw your brother- on the rooftop across from us."

Immediately, Raph dropped the sandwich. "Why didn't you do something?" He asked.

Mikey turned to him. "Bro, calm down."

Raven's face was stoic as usual. "Because he was afraid." She explained. "Not of us, of course. I think he was watching us, to see what we were like. In our battle with him earlier, he was wearing a device that transmitted an audio and visual feed- back to Slade, no doubt. But Robin damaged it; at the café, he wasn't wearing it, so it must've been getting repaired. From what you've said about him, your brother doesn't take unnecessary risks, so he probably considered that his only chance."

Frowning, Don looked at her. "But I don't understand- if he wasn't wearing it, you could've gotten him. And Leo wouldn't have been afraid in that kind of situation; he would've come to you."

The telekinetic girl shook her head. "No, Slade would never leave him unmonitored like that. I'm sure Leonardo had a substitute audio device. _That's_ what he was afraid of; that when I noticed him, I'd alert the others. Slade probably would've been able to hear that… and may have ordered Leo to attack. But I let him know that you weren't giving up on him."

Nodding, Mike scooted in. "What'd he think about that?" He asked. The orange-clad turtle had explained to the others beforehand that Raven was an empath.

"He was afraid. But believe me… he doesn't want to work for Slade. I could sense that he's trying to find a way out of this situation… he's just not sure how."

Raph looked out the window. "The bonehead." He said. "He should let us help him."

"Slade could kill you." Raven said firmly. "That's why Leo doesn't want you involved."

Donny folded his hands. "No offense, but I think it's a little late for that."

&&&&&

**Slade's Hideout**

Obediently, Leo walked up to Slade and held out his open palm, handing him the new device he'd stolen in it. The man in black and orange took it, flipping it over in his hands. "Good. Very good."

Leo lowered his black-clad arm to his side and said nothing, looking at the floor.

"In time, you will learn to enjoy stealing, Leonardo. In time, you will enjoy all of the things I have for you to do."

The turtle's eyes shifted back to Slade. "We'll see."

"Oh?" Slade asked monotonously. "You doubt me?"

Silence for a few seconds. "We'll see." He repeated, careful with his words.

Lowering the stolen device, Slade folded his hands behind his back. "I have another assignment for you."

Leo sighed. "What am I stealing now?"

"Nothing we really need, but it's valuable- we'll get some money for it from a few people I know. The point of this mission, however, is not securing the item."

"Then what is it?"

Slade didn't answer him directly. "Do you know why I chose you to be my apprentice, Leonardo?" When he didn't answer, the man continued. "Your skill is astounding. It's a quality that I can mold into something people fear. There's so much that can be accomplished with it… but first, we must eradicate your own fears."

Leo raised an eye ridge. "What are you talking about?"

Stepping closer, Slade explained. "You were raised in the shadows- to be one with them. This has its extreme usefulness in most matters, but I want everyone to know who you are- to connect you to me. And how can I do that with you hidden in the shadows?

"That's why you're next assignment will be performed in broad daylight." He continued. "In one hour, you will be going to the museum and stealing a jeweled breast plate from Ancient Rome. I don't care how you get inside; the point is that you're seen by many of the people there- that they know who you are."

Eyes wide, Leo looked at his feet. His whole life, he'd been trying to hide from the world; who knew what they might do to him and his brothers if they found out about them?

Working with Slade, he was practically untouchable, not that that mattered. His brothers however… if they were found, they'd be connected back to him. There'd be no mercy.

Slade seemed to be reading his mind. "If your brothers know what's best for them, they'll stay in the shadows I took you from. But their safety is no longer your concern."

&&&&&

Okay, (dodges tomatoes) I know that was super short, but that's how this chappie was intended. Trust me! The next one (which will have an action sequence) will be much longer!

Please forgive me!

Oh, and review too, if you can!


	9. Chapter 9

(takes super-glue that has been offered to her by her humble beta reader and loyal faithful reviewer) (glues self to seat)

Okay! I'm _not_ leaving this seat until I have a decent chapter typed up!

Note- I said I wouldn't _leave_ it. I _will_ be dragging it along with me when I need to eat. (laughs)

But yeah, I'm getting this one done! Six pages, at least!

I hope you like it!

Beta read by the amazing Sewer Slider, who has twenty-two nominations for this year's TMNT FanFiction Awards! Go read her fics!

&&&&&

**Jump City Historical Museum **

Once again, he was crawling through a ventilation shaft. For a museum that stored so many valuable and irreplaceable artifacts, its security was seriously lacking.

The band Slade had provided to replace his mask had been repaired; wearing it now, Leo watched for anything that might cause trouble.

He was disappointed to find none. Not over the lack of a challenge, but rather over the fact that he had no excuse not to retrieve the breastplate… and that Slade was going to get his way.

According to the blueprints he'd studied before leaving, the exhibit on Ancient Rome that the artifact was included in was now directly beneath him. Finding a grate, Leo looked down and studied the layout.

There was enough space for him to jump straight down without crashing into an exhibit. In the room, about nine artifacts were in thick, glass display cases. On the walls were detailed dioramas. Plenty of walking room.

It hadn't been too early; now, it was about nine thirty in the morning. He'd been hoping that the museum would be fairly empty. But there were far more people than he'd expected.

First, he noticed an elderly couple, admiring a diorama of the architecture of the day. Then, a large group of children and adults- what he assumed to be something like a fifth grade class field trip. Then, three teenagers with notebooks and cameras. A tour guide, and four other history lovers following her as she explained about a famous battle.

Thirty-six people. Leo swallowed- that didn't even include those who'd be watching him through the security cameras, which seemed to be the _one_ feature this place had included.

_"Getting nervous, are we?"_ Slade asked through the audio link. _"Think of this as a test, my apprentice. It's meant to sharpen your skills, prepare you for your life to come… so you do _not_ want to fail." _

Leo snorted. "No pressure, huh?" He whispered.

Before Slade could respond, Leo opened the grate and leapt down to the ground, landing so quietly, that for several seconds, there was still some quiet chatter around him.

Of course, it quickly went dead silent.

Trying to look quickly for the breastplate, Leo couldn't help but take more notice of the people as they stared at him.

One of the fifth graders with brunette hair seemed particularly terrified. She tugged at her teacher's sleeve. "Mrs. King, what is that thing?"

The tour guide raised a hand to her face. "Oh my God…"

So much murmuring… Leo could barely stand it. Gritting his teeth, he got to work. The breastplate, jewels glittering, sat in its display case close by the elderly couple. Leo walked over to it, taking out a sword. To his right, he could see the children shrink back in fear and a part of his heart broke.

Flipping the sword around, he rammed the hilt of it into the display case. Despite its durability, it couldn't match the strength of his new katana. Half of the panel he hit shattered, leaving enough room to get the artifact.

The old man took a step forward. "Now listen here, son." He said. "I can't let you-"

Turning to him, Leo twisted the katana back around until the blade was pointing upright, a dangerous four feet from the man. "Stay back." Leo warned, voice level. "No one gets hurt if you don't interfere."

If he could stop time, Leo would've punched himself for saying that. Next, he would run as far away as possible. He was threatening a defenseless, elderly man, for the love of God. And in the name of a sadistic bastard who wanted him to forget everyone he loved and everything he stood for.

Never had the turtle imagined that he would sink this low.

Unfortunately, he couldn't stop time and escape this horrible life. For now, he was stuck.

For now, he'd have to do his work in the filth of the mud, trying to keep it as clean as possible for as long as he could. Until he truly could escape.

The man raised his hands. Behind him, his wife was crying. Leo did his best to keep his face straight, but his innards were being torn apart in agony.

Turning away quickly, he focused back on the breastplate, and began his work to remove it. In his hands, he looked it over carefully, making sure it was the real deal.

Sure that it was, he was about to leave when it all went wrong.

Two security guards walked into the room. The first stared in shock at the situation. "What the hell's going on here?" He asked.

As the second approached, going for a weapon, Leo immediately drew one of the guns that had been given to him. In the blink of an eye, he had fired two tranquilizers. The officers went down in seconds.

Half of the people in the room started screaming. Placing the gun back, Leo twirled his sword around. "Quiet!" He said, loathing the venom he'd put into his voice. Many of the children were crying.

That's when he noticed three more security guards, outside the doorway. Two of the teenagers ran for them, along with half of the field trip students and museum goers. He raised a walkie-talkie to his mouth. "We're gonna need back-up." He said.

Leo let them go, watching as two of the officers led the group away. Seeing he was making no move, the rest of the people began to move.

_"Now comes the fun part." _Slade said. _"We want you to be noticed, Leonardo, not merely seen. A robbery will get you mentioned, but hostages will make you known." _

Eyes widening behind the silver band, the now black-clad turtle shook his head, lowering his voice. "I'm _not_ taking a hostage."

_"If you truly care about those brothers of your, then I think you will, and more than one."_

Hating himself tenfold, Leo turned sharply and grabbed the collar of the last teenager, a girl in a pink blouse, while simultaneously sticking his foot out and tripping a boy.

Seeing what he'd done, a blonde woman in a baggy green sweater stood frozen in fear and didn't go any farther, much to his disappointment.

Having no choice now, he grabbed her wrist and moved her behind him with the other two. Leveling his katana at the security guards who'd tried to enter, he kept his voice even. "Come in here, and they're dead." He took in a silent, deep breath. "I'm going to leave. They'll all make it out without a scratch if you just stay where you are."

This cop watched him, glancing at the terrified hostages. "I can't let you do that."

Leo frowned. "What's more important, a damn piece of metal, or a human life?"

"That's a good question." The man said. "And since you seem to know the answer, how about you let them go?"

His words cut at Leo. The turtle frowned. _God, how I want to._ "Sorry." He whispered instead. "But that's something _I_ can't do."

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

"So," Mikey asked curiously, "just how many animals can you turn into?"

Grinning at him, Beast Boy cracked his knuckles. "Any animal you can think of, dude."

Eager to test this, the orange-clad turtle scratched his chin. "Okay, let's see a cat."

Rolling his eyes, the changeling turned into a soft feline, flicking his tail.

"Rooster?"

In the blink of an eye, he became the selected bird.

"Snake? Hippo? Giraffe?"

Quickly, Beast Boy turned into each of the selected animals. The giraffe was difficult, considering the ceiling wasn't anywhere near high enough to accommodate that particular animal.

Immensely enjoying this, Mikey clapped as the green shape-shifter reverted to his normal state. "Bravo! Okay, how 'bout a turtle?"

Beast Boy snorted. "Dude, that is _so_ easy." Shrinking down, he became a small, red eared slider.

"All right, show-off," Mike began good-naturedly, "let's see a _mutant_ turtle- like me. Can you pull that one off?"

Back to his original form once more, Beast Boy scratched his head, cross-legged. "Huh. I don't know. Maybe. I mean, I can turn into extinct animals like dinosaurs, and there was this one time when I turned into this kind that we saw on Starfire's home planet." He shrugged. "I might- it'd just take some time, I guess."

In a corner, Raphael growled lowly. "As interesting as this is, is there anyway we can get back to finding Leo?"

Don was busy, explaining somewhere to Cyborg how they'd managed to get into the Tower. And while he realized that the android needed that information for the superheroes own security reasons, Raph was becoming more annoyed by the second at how long this was taking.

Standing, the changeling grinned at the temperamental turtle. "Relax, dude. Cy and Raven are checking to see if anyone's seen Slade lately. If we can get a good idea about his new hidey-hole, it'll be easier to find your brother."

Just as he finished his sentence, that red light began to flash again. Robin and Starfire walked into the room. "I'm sorry, but that's going to have to wait for now." The Boy Wonder said as he moved over to a console by the giant television, which now displayed something other than a cooking program. "There's a robbery going down at the museum. Looks like there's a hostage situation, too."

"Great." Raph sighed, throwing his hands up in the air. Sure, he knew that the Teen Titans had far more to worry about than locating Leonardo, but this was starting to get tiring.

Sympathetic, Beast Boy looked over towards Robin. "Hey, maybe they could come with us on this one. I mean, you saw how they kick butt. They could help us out."

Jumping up and down, Starfire smiled. "Oh, yes! And it will help take their minds off their unfortunate predicament!"

Folding his arms over his chest, Robin frowned. "I don't know… Slade could activate the probes in their bodies at any time. The last thing we need is for them to go down when we're dealing with the criminal behind this."

"But, dude," Beast boy pointed out, "at least we'd be around. 'Cause like you said, he could do that at any time, and if they're here by themselves when the probes go off, who's gonna help them if they need it?"

Mikey swallowed. "Yeah, I don't like the sound of that."

Sighing, Robin looked at them. "All right. You guys up for it?"

"You kidding?" Raph asked, already taking out his sais. "I'm goin' nuts as it is. A good fight is _exactly_ what I need." He said with a grin.

&&&&&

**Jump City Historical Museum**

Things certainly weren't looking good right now. In the middle of the room, there was a large exhibit featuring the clothing of Ancient Rome. Leo moved the three hostages behind that display case, keeping them out of the sight of the authorities… and out of the way of any bullets that might be fired.

Sitting on the floor in front of them, Leo tried to think of a way out of this. He wished he could take out the cameras- he had a device that short-circuited all electronic apparatuses within a fifty meter radius. But the turtle knew Slade would have his head if he did that.

Or, more precisely, that of one of his brothers.

Speaking of his _master_, the audio link was quiet. Leo figured he knew why. Slade had said this was a test- he wasn't going to provide any answers. Only punishments if he considered his apprentice to be 'cheating'.

There were two exits out of here- the first was guarded by the police officers he's seen, and the second, one to his right, by the same kind of people, though they were clearly hiding. Using the heat sensors in his new mask, Leo confirmed that. There were three waiting for him.

So that made that route a no-no. Looking up, the ninja decided that the only easy access out of this place was through the way he came in- the ventilation shafts. In order to get there, though, he would need a _major_ distraction, otherwise he'd never make it.

The sobs of the little boy drew his attention back to the hostages. The woman in the green sweater had her arms wrapped around him, comforting him awkwardly. The teenager stared at him, eyes red.

He wanted to tell them he wouldn't let them get hurt… but that wasn't allowed. Slade would say it made him look weak.

Hearing footsteps, Leo looked around to the right section, the one that had the hiding guards. They were backing up now, and coming was a group of five- a group he'd seen just twice before.

_Damn._ He thought. _So I get to face the Titans again. How worse can this get?_

Suddenly, Leo picked up three more figures moving towards him, more discreetly than the others. At first he thought they might be the police, but he recalled the bright reds and oranges that had come off that lot. The heat radiating from these three didn't register as well as did the others he'd seen.

How much worse could this get? Leo suddenly realized just how much.

He didn't know of that many cold-blooded ninjas, after all.

&&&&&

The five Titans placed themselves against the doorway. With his organic eye, Cyborg watched the ninjas as they crept along behind them, agilely blending in with the few shadows that the museum provided with the silence of a feather floating down from the sky. He found it creepy, in a way- that they could move like that. Cy decided to attribute it to their lifestyle, which most certainly required that talent.

It made it understandable, then, why Donatello and Raphael looked slightly uncomfortable in such a public, well-lit area. That fact alone made Cy wonder why they'd come in the first place.

But they didn't have too much to be troubled about. With the police moved back to give the Titans room, the turtles really only had to worry about the criminal along with the three hostages. As for the cameras, if it became a problem for them, the Titans could make sure that any surveillance footage showing the three would never be revealed to the public.

Michelangelo, on the other hand, seemed much more relaxed about this, grinning from ear-to-ear. On the way to the museum, Cy had heard the orange-banded terrapin mention to Beast Boy something about the 'Turtle Titan'.

While Cy had personally never heard of the guy, the name itself gave it away.

"Okay," Robin said, scanning the room; "I can see the hostages. Our first priority is to get them out. Raph, Mike, Don- that'll be your job for now."

Snorting, Raph folded his arms. "What? C'mon." He griped, clearly disappointed.

Sighing, Robin looked at the other two turtles. "He always like this?"

Nodding, Mikey's grin grew larger, if that were possible. "Yep. Try living with him."

He was smacked upside the head.

Cyborg had to stop himself from laughing. _Yeah, they're _definitely_ brothers._

Robin shook his head. "Once the hostages are out, feel free to join us. But you're the ones practiced in ninja stealth. I'm assuming you can get them out faster than we could. And since I can't see our perp, we don't know who we're dealing with here. So-"

"Okay." Raph interrupted. "I get the picture."

Don smiled sincerely. "Don't worry." He assured them. "We'll take care of it."

Robin nodded. "All right then. Titans, go!"

Charging in, the Titans immediately spread out, searching for any sign of the criminal, while the turtles rushed over to the hostages. Cyborg glanced at them as he passed- the three seemed more frightened of them then they should've been, though they quickly relaxed upon hearing that their rescuers were with the Teen Titans.

Changing into a hawk, Beast Boy flew above their heads, trying to get an aerial view of the situation. Crying out, he dove towards the back section of the room. Simultaneously, Star soared in the same direction, followed closely by Raven as Cy and Robin ran there on foot.

Just as they were about to reach a display case, the sheet over the stand it sat upon burst open and their criminal rolled out, somersaulting in between the android and Robin, knocking over the glass display case in the process.

As the two Titans moved to avoid it, the guy, a black and silver silhouette in his speed, was already on his way out.

Behind him, Cy heard Raven. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She shouted. Black energy engulfed a spear, edges dulled; that had been broken out of its casing as it moved towards the guy.

Just as it was about to hit, he flipped his body into a handstand and caught the spear in between his toes and jammed it into a wall with a flick of his foot. Letting it go, he quickly put himself into an upright position. Grabbing the handle of the spear and twisting himself around, he landed atop of it, about a good six feet off the ground now.

This gave Cyborg just enough time to identify who they were dealing with. It was Leonardo… again.

This stumped the robot. Slade had never before been interested in this kind of stuff. Why would he have Leo steal something like this when what he really wanted was the serious and deadly items they usually found on his shopping list?

In the other direction, he heard Don's voice. "Leo?"

Apparently, the other turtles had identified their brother as well. Looking over at them, Cy saw that they had gotten the hostages out already- Mike was just pushing the little boy out of the room.

Raph was moving forward. "Leo, what the hell are you doin' here?" He asked angrily.

They'd been told what Slade was having their elder brother do. It was obviously far more of a shock to actually see it, especially with the drastic change of a physical appearance that Slade had made Leonardo undergo. Cyborg was sure they weren't accustomed to seeing him in black.

Though Leo didn't answer, he did look over his shoulder, sadly eyeing his brothers.

It gave Cyborg the opening he needed.

"Sorry about this, man." He said, even as he jumped into the air, shoving Leo back to the ground.

The turtle hit, moaning softly, but quickly got back to his feet. Cy knew that that had to have hurt; being made a good part out of metal had that affect.

His brothers were soon upon him. A glance from Robin basically said that this was a fight they were going to stay out of for the time being.

Cyborg looked back. He hoped these guys knew what they were doing.

&&&&&

If it weren't for the little of that familiar shade of green that was still showing and that recognizable fighting style, Don probably wouldn't have identified the thief to be none other than Leonardo.

Weapons drawn in a way that felt so wrong, the three moved towards their brother. "Leo," Mike began, "you don't have to do this."

Both of the katanas came out, but there was hesitation. Leo looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words out.

Raph's eyes narrowed at him. "You really wanna be like this, bro? You honestly want to flush everything you believe in down the toilet?"

Looking like he was listening to someone, their brother moved, attacking. Raph blocked the new katanas with his sais. Just as Mike swung his chucks at him, Leo sheathed one sword in the blink of an eye and grabbed it. Pulling on it, he threw Mike's weight into Raph and turned to face Donny.

The purple-clad turtle shook his head sadly. "I know why you're doing this." He said, trying again; "But Leo, how long are you going to be able to keep it up? The stuff Slade's having you do… its just going to get worse. _This_ here goes against everything you've always been taught. When it gets worse… Leo, I know you. It's going to eat you alive. What are you going to do when it gets worse?"

Breathing heavily, whether from exertion or anxiety, Don was unsure, Leo hung his head. "I will do what my…" He took in a shaky breath; "What my master orders me to do." He said softly.

Realizing that this speech had given the others time to rise again, Leo turned back around, sword ready. He feigned an attack, and when Mikey and Raph went to counter it, the ninja flipped over them and kicked them into Don.

Twisting around, Raph yelled after Leo as the turtle backed away, still staring reluctantly at them. "Leo, don't you dare think for one second that this is done! I know you, bro, and despite the shit that's going down, family is still family. I don't care what this Slade guy can do to us, we ain't giving up on you."

By the display case that the hostages had sat by, Leo looked at them for a long while. "You should care." He finally said. "Because Slade won't hesitate to take your life. Like you said, family is family, and I can't be your brother anymore…" His voice cracked a little. "So don't worry about me. Just take care of yourselves."

Slipping his hand under the display case, Leo pulled out the jeweled breastplate.

Quickly understanding what was happening now, the Titans immediately moved back into play. Just as the girls were about to close in, Leo threw a smoke bomb, sending the area into a fog.

Coughing, when Don looked again as the smoke cleared out, it was clear that Leo was gone.

&&&&&

Look at that! I beat my goal- eight pages, baby!

Hope you liked the chapter- I tried to add as much action as possible.

And of course, I had to put the bit in there with Beast Boy's thoughts on possibly turning into a mutant turtle. There's been so many suggestions for it, I decided to bring it into the story.

But yeah, if anyone thinks Leo was out of character at all, please forgive me. The parts where he's all mean here was just him acting. He knows Slade would do something drastic if he weren't behaving that way.

Anyways, once again, I hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Here I am again!

Hope this isn't moving too fast for you guys now- I probably should've given you warning. So you know, there's two parts to the story. The first takes place in Jump City, the second in New York.

We're now reaching the close of the first part. Including this chappie, there's about four or five left. This one is gonna have a bunch of action though, which is why it'll seem fast. I've split it up to slow it down, but I'm still worried.

Anyways, I hope you won't get too frazzled- and please enjoy!

Beta read by the incredible Sewer Slider! Go read her fics!

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT; I don't own the Teen Titans. I'm nothin' but a dreamer.

&&&&&

**Slade's Hideout**

Every room was darker than twilight, but Leo was able to find Slade quickly, without the use of the heat seeker, either.

As always, when he delivered the package, the turtle was silent. This time, he was so quiet that the dead, hushed away in their tombs six feet below the earth, made more noise than he did.

Slade was waiting. He wasn't watching any of the monitors like usual, but from his position, Leonardo could tell that he had been.

Walking over to his 'master', Leo made no note to the man of how much pain he was in already, whether through speech or body movement. His chest was sore where the Titan called Cyborg had pushed him, but nothing was broken. Tender, but perfectly fine.

Leo knew that wasn't going to last. Slade reminded the ninja of the Shredder, in a way. And Oroku Saki had never been one to punish lightly.

He wasn't worried about himself though. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the panel on Slade's arm, the one with the four colored knobs that controlled the probes inside him and his brothers.

_God, please let them live…_

Bowing his head in a symbol of respect that the man did not deserve, Leo handed the jeweled breastplate over to Slade.

A soft, metallic _click_ sounded when the plate was taken into the one-eyed man's hands. He looked the artifact over carefully. "Good, very good." He said, no hint of real pleasure in his voice. "My contacts will be pleased."

The turtle kept very still, waiting for it.

And sure enough, there it was. "Aren't you curious as to what your grade is?" Slade asked, placing the breastplate down carefully before folding his arms behind his back. The whole time, he never took that one eye off of him. When the apprentice didn't answer, Slade went on. "It was a 'C'." Slowly, he began to circle the teenager. "And while that is, by all means, a passing grade, we both know you could've done better, don't we?"

Though he was aware of him the whole time, Leo did not turn to follow him. "Perhaps."

"Be honest, Leonardo. I watched your action for months before choosing you to be my apprentice; I know you inside and out. You're a perfectionist. Was it or was it not perfectly executed?"

Leo paused. "No." He finally said.

Slade stopped, finally, speaking behind him now. "That's right. And what was it about this assignment that wasn't performed to standards? What is it that you need to work on?"

Absolute silence. Leo refused to answer, or even look at his 'master'.

Leaning in, Slade hissed. "_Compassion_. It weakens you. Yes, you took no mind of those in the building; you drove fear into them. That was good. And you took the hostages, like I instructed. But they should not have only been afraid of you, my apprentice- they should have been _terrified._" He said, voice growing louder, only to quiet down. "And then, there's the matter of your brothers."

Suddenly, hot pain seared through Leo's entire body. He'd only experienced it once, but he remembered it too well. Slade had activated the probes in the ninja's own body this time.

Gritting his teeth, Leo's knees gave way beneath him and he hit the floor. It was on a lower setting than the first time, but it still hurt like crazy. He was dizzy, but managed to keep upright.

Slade was speaking again. "When they arrived with the Teen Titans, you dealt with the superheroes simply, but you allowed your siblings to distract you. And when you fought your brothers, you weren't striking them like the threats to the mission that they were- you held your blows and dealt with them quickly. Even when I instructed you to attack without mercy!"

The pain increased. Biting his tongue, Leo could taste a small amount of blood in his mouth, but said nothing. _Just take it all out on me. I don't mind. As long as it's not my brothers._

"And you spoke to them." Leo felt a hard hit to the back of his head that sent him onto his stomach. Slade kicked him in the side. The armor on the turtle's body was protective, but it was skin tight. Every blow jarred him, hurt him. "We agreed, don't you remember? You were never to speak to them again! Your allegiance is to me!"

The pain from the probes spiked- Leo nearly blacked out. When it stopped without warning, he was left almost breathless, wheezing quietly.

"Never again." Slade said softly. "This is your last warning, my apprentice. Or I _will_ kill them."

Gently, Leo raised his body, standing. When Slade moved to hit him again, Leo caught his wrist, twisted around, and kicked him in the torso. The man backed up, but did not go down. Instead, he moved in, swinging his arm out and chopping his hand at the turtle's wrist. His appendages weren't as protected; Leo knew that that one wasn't a simple bruising.

Although it made him want to cry out in pain, he ignored it and turned to the opposite side, jamming his elbow under Slade's chin. The minute he had him, Leo wasted no time in kicking the man again. His foot landed on Slade's arm; the ninja hoped that the control panel would be damaged, but he knew that was far too much to wish for. His blow had been far off target in the first place.

It also didn't appear to have injured. Using that same arm, Slade brought up his fist and hit Leo square in the mouth. There was more blood, but the teenage didn't pay too much mind to it. He spat most of out on the floor and waited for the next attack- one that never came.

"Very good." Slade said. The subject had changed in an instant, spoken with fists and physical attacks. Leo had begun to understand that when Slade had kicked him. Also like Oroku Saki, this was this man's way of training. But clearly, training was over. "Another thing I hate in my apprentices is weakness; cowardice. I would hate to think that that was all that lay underneath such fine skills." He nodded. "There will be more later. Go."

Nodding his head, Leo began to walk away, holding his wrist as straight as possible. It was probably sprained. He'd take care of it.

"Oh, and Leonardo?"

"Yes?" Leo asked hoarsely.

"What I've told you- tell me you understand."

"I understand… master."

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Angrily, Raph kicked an empty cup lying on the floor. It went flying, sent in the direction of the kitchen, where Beast Boy and Mikey were sitting. Turning, the shape-shifter managed to catch it before it hit him in the face.

Gulping, he set it down on the table. "He gonna be all right?" He asked Michelangelo.

The typically cheerful turtle looked at his new friend dejectedly. "Raph's just mad. He hits things when he's upset. But he'll get to sulking around pretty quick."

"Don't worry." Beast Boy assured him. "Your bro wasn't saying all of that stuff 'cause he wanted to. _Nobody_ likes working for Slade. Not _that_ much, anyways. But Leo didn't mean it."

"We know that." Don said, speaking as he entered into the kitchen like a shadow. "But if he's that determined to protect us from Slade, then he might not even let us come near him."

A crash from the living room made the three turn their heads. The last thing Raph had kicked had been sent into a vase. Glancing at it, Raven saved it from a death against the floor and set it back up on its mantle. The other three Titans were watching him cautiously.

"Well he's coming back whether he likes it or not!" Raph shouted.

"Please." Starfire said soothingly. "No more of this fury. It is solving little of your problems."

Feeling a little guilty, the turtle stopped, but the anger was still burnt into his features. "Yeah, well it's making me feel a lot better." He mumbled.

Robin placed a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, we're still going to help you get you're brother back. But there's nothing we can do until we know where he is."

Nodding roughly, Raph frowned. "Yeah, but the minute we do…" He trailed off.

"Well," Cyborg began, "we may not have to wait that long."

Don walked over. "What do you mean?" He asked.

The android grinned. "I didn't just knock your bro down 'cause I felt like it." He explained. "I tagged him with a small homing device. Slade won't be able to detect it."

Immediately, the faces of the three brothers lit up. Mike jumped out of his seat. "You serious? Where is he?"

"Hold your horses." Cy told him. "Give me a second." As he typed in a bunch of info into a small console on his arm, he found himself crowded by most in the room.

Raph watched as a blipping dot appeared on a little screen. It was about ten miles away from Titans Tower- a separate dot on the screen.

The red-banded ninja grinned. "What the hell are we waiting for?"

Robin was quick to bring them back to reality. "Nightfall." He said. "Whether he suspects anything or not, Slade will be wary for several hours now no matter what- on the look out for us or the police, in the chance that Leonardo was tailed."

Donny raised a green hand. "Unless he thinks were coming. I mean, he knows we mainly go out in the open at night in the first place." He explained, referring to himself and his brothers. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have even found Leo."

Turning to the others, Cyborg suggested, "Maybe earlier in the evening, then?" He asked. "Give Slade some time to slack off, but not too much so he can suspect us comin'?"

Nodding, the Boy Wonder explained the plan. "Yeah. Around six or so."

Scratching his elbow, Mikey looked at them. "Why don't we wait until he sends Leo out on another job? He seems to have a lot of them, anyways. And then we can just grab him."

Raven shook her head. "Because every time he goes out, Leo has to where some sort of transmitter. Slade can see and hear everything your brother does. He'll know we're there, and if he thinks we can take his 'apprentice', he'll activate the probes in your bodies."

Mikey winced. "That sucks. But won't he do that whether we go to his hideout or grab Leo somewhere else?"

"Yes." Starfire said. "But if we are with Slade, we may be able to destroy whatever device it is that he uses to initiate them."

In a mood again, Raph crossed his arms. He didn't like this- didn't like waiting. Especially when they knew where Leo was. The red-clad turtle had always been one for acting on opportunities, even without a plan.

It was one of the few places really in which he and Leo differed. But what a _big_ difference that was.

"Fine." He finally said, walking away.

He'd wait. Whether he liked it or not, he'd been in a thousand situations before that required him to.

Time needed to move faster, though.

&&&&&

**Slade's Hideout**

At five forty-seven, as the sun began to set in the late fall days; Slade went to collect his apprentice.

Always a man of security, every room in his new fortress was installed with a camera. Leonardo had taken temporary residence in one of the empty rooms, but he hadn't slept at all, despite the fact that he could certainly use the refreshment.

Rather, he'd just sat there quietly. Occasionally squirming around to accommodate his injuries.

Finding him, Slade entered the room, standing above the turtle. On the floor was the metal band he wore on missions- it had been taken off. After a few moments, Leonardo looked up at him.

"You will have to trust me at some point, my apprentice." He told him. Slade knew well why the teenager refused to drift off into slumber. "Even if you don't, you can't go on for much longer in this manner while continuing to perform to standards- not if you want to keep those three alive, anyway."

Leo looked away. Those wheels were turning again.

Getting down on one knee, Slade met him at eye level. "Let me see your wrist." He commanded.

Glancing back at him, Leo kept all body parts close to him. "I can take care of myself." He said.

Slade knew that. He'd learned quickly that all four of these unique turtles knew basic medical care. The ninja had his wrist, injured by his master, wrapped already. It seemed that he'd found some old bandages that had been left behind when the clinic had been cleaned out.

He nodded. "Let me see it." He ordered once more.

Reluctantly, Leo brought his hand out.

Finding the beginning of the bandages, he unwrapped it. With a gentleness he rarely ever used, the man took looked the injury over. Yes, it was clearly sprained. Slade tisked. It would be a while before his apprentice would be able to perform as usual with it.

Wrapping it up once more, the man in black and orange stood. "Come with me." He said.

Looking away, Leo picked up the headband and got to his feet. Without the drowsiness that he no doubt inhabited, he followed.

Slade took him to another room- the first one he'd brought him to when he'd given him his armor. Searching through everything there, he soon found a small plate, also black. "Yes, this is it."

Bringing it forward, he snapped it on Leo's wrist, right over the bandages. The turtle winced slightly, but remained still. "What is it?"

"A guard for your injury." Slade explained. "It's tight, so you won't be able to move your hand as much. But it's strong- it'll protect it and allow it to heal properly. You'll still be able to use your katana."

Nodding, Leo experimented with it. The guard started two inches below his wrist and ended just below his thumb. He'd be able to have a tight grip on his sword- would be able to swing it, slice, and block. Twisting it around in his hand would not be possible for a while, but that was fine. Just as long as he got the job done.

And as long as no one noticed the injury.

A beeping sound alerted Slade to his monitors. A few shadows could be seen, but that was all. The man stared at them curiously. Often, around this part of town, several rambunctious and energetic boys would mess around, as boys had a tendency to do- playing their games of fantasy and ignoring the looming threat in the building that hid them from their friends.

But usually, you could see more than their shadow.

Slade frowned. "Leonardo, I do believe we might have some company. Scout the building. If you find a threat- _no mercy_. Bring it to me. If it's nothing more important than bunch of stray kittens or loose teenagers, then come back inside."

Nodding, Leo began to leave.

"Leonardo?"

"Huh?"

"Haven't you forgotten something?"

The turtle flinched a little. It was something he clearly hated, considering that he'd called someone else by the title for sixteen years. That was why Slade kept pushing it- Leonardo had to accept that he was his master now, and not that rat.

"Yes… master." Leo said quietly. Then he disappeared into the hallway.

&&&&&

Starfire hovered above the building. Raven was by her side; Beast Boy as well, a little bat flying in the air.

Below, she could see Robin and the others. The leader of the Teen Titans spoke to her over the Communicator. _"There's only one entrance."_ He said. _"Slade has all of the windows boarded up. Going through the door will be too obvious."_

The Tamaranian nodded, floating back down to the ground as she closed her Communicator. "But Robin," She said, "our options are few."

Frowning, Robin glanced at Beast Boy, who'd by now changed back to his normal form. "Beast Boy, go see what it looks like."

Saluting, the changeling grinned. "On it!" He shrunk down until he was a mere spider.

"Ugh." Raphael muttered, taking one step back.

His brother, Michelangelo laughed. "What's a matter, Raph? Afraid of the yucky bug?"

Immediately, the green spider shot up and changed back into BB. "Yucky?" He asked, annoyed.

"Beast Boy!" Robin hissed.

"Oh. Right." He said, shrinking back down.

Growling lowly, Raph hit Mikey in the back of the head. Starfire giggled softly.

Soon, the shape-shifter returned. "There's this waiting room." He explained as he changed back. "But after that is a long hallway. Everything looks clear."

Nodding, Robin moved forward. "Okay, then. Let's go in."

Behind him, Don turned back to his brothers. "_Quietly_, if that's possible." He told them with a small smile. But the look in his eyes reminded Starfire of ones she used to see on her home planet.

A 'Desist, or you will suffer the consequences', kind of gaze, but with a friendlier aura.

As they moved, Cyborg took a good long look at each place they were at. "My sensors aren't pickin' up anything." He whispered.

Raven shook her head. "That's unusual. Slade tends to keep on top of his security."

They heard the footsteps, soft and cautious, far too late.

In seconds, Leo was in front of them, one sword in hand. The first time she'd seen him without the metallic band on his face, Star could see his eyes were brown, like his brothers. And the area around his mouth was bruised.

"Damn it." He muttered. "Why are you guys here?" He asked voice as low as theirs.

Raph stepped forward. "You should be able to figure it out, bro. I told ya this wasn't over."

Grinning, Mike looked him over. "Hey, you don't have that transmitter thingy on! C'mon, Leo- Slade cant see what's going on. You can come with us!"

Shaking his head, Leo took one step forward. "He's not an idiot, Mikey. He expects me back any minute, and when I'm not, he'll know something's wrong. He'll know that I disobeyed him again- and when he finds that out, he'll kill all three of you!"

Sadly, Starfire watched as the grip on Leonardo's katana turned almost white, he was holding it so hard. So afraid, he was…

Donatello placed his bo away. "Leo, these are the Teen Titans. They know how to get those probes out of us."

Leo quickly looked at them. "You can? You can help them?"

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah, the equipment's set up back at the tower. All we have to do is destroy whatever it is Slade's using to activate them-"

"Forget it." Leo said. "I've tried to get to it already- he won't let anyone close."

Beast Boy grinned. "Dude, no offense, but you're _one guy. _He's gonna have a harder time when eight people are trying to get it."

"And in the time we're trying, he can kill my brothers." Leo said softly. He shook his head. "No… we can't risk it. You shouldn't even be here. I'll get it eventually, and we'll have this discussion all over again when I do. But for now, you need to go. I'll tell Slade it was just a bunch of kids smoking, or something."

Raph moved forward fast, tapping Leo hard in the plastron. "We ain't leavin', bro. What part of that isn't getting through your head?"

"What part of 'You will _die' _isn't getting through yours?"

The two stared at each other for a long time. Finally, Mike and Don moved forward too. "Leo," the purple-clad turtle said, "we're not going unless you're coming along."

"Please, Leo?" Mike pleaded.

Frowning, the elder turtle turned to the Titans. Robin frowned, hesitated. "I promised your brothers we'd help get you back. I'm not breaking that."

Leo back up a little. "I don't have a choice." He said. "I won't risk their lives."

He looked up. Starfire could see the katana shifting and moved into a defensive position.

Cyborg did likewise. "Don't you think you're doing that if you take them to Slade?"

"I'm not." Leo said. "I'm getting all of you out of here."

"No, my apprentice." A voice sounded. "You'll stay right where you are."

Flinching, Leonardo straightened in fear. He looked at all of them. _Why didn't you go?_ He mouthed.

Slade's form became apparent as he moved from behind him. He took in the scene, as unmoved as ever. "Well, won't this be a barrel of fun?"

&&&&&

(sings) And another one bites the dust!

Before I go into the full lyrics what did you think? I personally liked it. Don't know why.

Anyways, the next chappie promises to be full of actiony goodness.

So please review!


	11. Chapter 11

(walks over) Unn… me no feel good. (continues to type) Worse than last time. I think it's pneumonia- I have to go see the doctor though to find out for sure.

But writing cheers me up, and seeing you guys enjoying it makes me better, so let's get this chappie going.

Also, I'd like to tell you that I'm trying to work in a little of the Titans' pasts into this chapter. Not for all of them, I'll eventually get to that, but for some. And portions of this info will be from what I've gathered on them from comics.

And for those who read this but have never seen the show, Slade has had two apprentices prior to this story. The first was Robin and the second was a girl named Terra. Neither of them worked out.

Anyways, enjoy!

Beta read by the remarkable Sewer Slider! Check out her fics!

Disclaimer: It's quite mean of them. For starters, neither the owners of the TMNT nor those of the Teen Titans will release their claim on their shows. But then one sticks with people that refuse to show their best season and the other hasn't had a new episode in months. They really should consider handing them over to me.

&&&&&

**Slade's Hideout**

The intense hatred Robin had for this man could not be explained. He was so similar to Slade. No matter how much he tried to  
deny it, it was true. And he loathed it.

There were so many times he'd become obsessed while trying to hunt him down, figure him out. And every time Robin saw him again, a little twinge of that obsession was brought back.

If only for a moment.

In front of him, Raph was gripping his sais tightly, looking ready to charge Slade at any moment. Reaching out, the leader of the Titans grabbed his shoulder.

The turtle turned to look at him, clearly peeved. Robin understood he wanted to hurt the man who'd taken his brother and threatened his family… but he didn't know Slade like they did.

Hoping he'd get the message, Robin shortly shook his head. The time to fight hadn't quite yet come. He still was unsure where the device Slade used to activate the probes were- they needed that information at least.

Stepping forward, Slade was careful not to keep his back to his newest apprentice, though he moved far enough to state simply by body movement that he was in charge here. "The Teen Titans." He said, the faintest hints of delight in his monotonous voice. "I honestly can't tell you how auspicious it is that you've come here." He gestured to Leonardo. "You've met my apprentice. He seems to be having trouble in his methods of assault. He just can't get past all of that honor; tries so hard to protect the innocent, no matter what I tell him. Perhaps it'll do him good if I'm here to… watch." He said, looking over at a small fixture in the wall.

It appeared to be no more than a series of tiny black dots, part of a pattern in the bland wallpaper. But even without looking at them closely, Robin could guess that they were small cameras created with a new technology that Cyborg's scanners didn't recognize.

Slade had seriously stepped up his security. But the Titan had seen the list of all the items Slade had had either Leonardo or his robots steal for him. This hadn't been anywhere on the list, or anything similar to it.

Perhaps Slade had made a new friend…

"Ya know, Slade," Cyborg said, "you've had this curious habit in your choice of apprentices. They never seem to work out too well for you."

Slade chuckled. "Give him time. I'll shift his loyalties sooner than you think."

That was clearly the breaking point for Raphael. Robin was just glad he stayed put.

"Wanna bet on that, asshole?" He yelled. "You have _no_ idea how stubborn Leo is. No matter what you do- he ain't gonna follow you out of respect! Threat or no threat- deep down, his loyalty will always be to us."

Eye on him, Slade turned his head towards the red-clad turtle. "Ah, Raphael." He said, ignoring the outburst. "You know, you were my second choice. Your anger is intriguing- but it's not the kind which I can mold. Like it or not, your brother is mine." The man's hand shot out, grabbing Leo's left wrist. "Haven't you given up yet, my apprentice?" He asked.

Robin's eyes were drawn downwards. Before Slade drew Leo's hand away, he'd been able to see that the blue-banded ninja had a new piece of equipment on his right wrist, one that hadn't been there before. As Slade released his hand, Robin saw that it didn't match the left wrist.

He also noticed that Leonardo had been reaching for a small console that was now apparent, hidden in the armor of Slade's right arm.

That was probably where the device was, Robin was sure.

And that was all he needed to know.

"Titans, go!"

&&&&&

Behind his mask, Slade grit his teeth. Reprimanding Leonardo in front of the Titans had been a foolish mistake- it had given Robin time to guess where the hidden console was.

But that was of little matter to him. The encounter would've been rather boring if a fight hadn't ensued.

Though they weren't Titans, Leonardo's three brothers moved on the coined command. Taking one step back, Slade flipped the compartment open and turned the three knobs that controlled them.

It was enough to momentarily distract the superheroes. "Raven!" Robin ordered quickly. "Help them."

Leo looked up at him, eyes wide. "Don't-"

"I'm not killing them." He told him in a low voice. The Titans, still sorting things out, didn't hear a word. "However, I will if you don't start fighting. I want the Teen Titans down, my apprentice. Am I making myself clear?"

The turtle stared at him, eyes showing an inner state of turmoil that his body did not reflect. Finally, he nodded.

Slade took another step back, eager to watch. He'd have his own share in the fight later, of course, but for now, it was time to truly put his apprentice's skills to the test. "Then get to it."

Just as the turtle was about to draw his swords, Slade stopped him. "Oh, Leonardo?"

"Yes?"

"Leave Robin for me."

&&&&&

Both katanas in hand now, Leo moved in as the Titans stepped forward. Cyborg watched him glance nervously in his brothers' direction. Raven kneeled on the floor beside them, hands glowing a soft blue color as she tried to ease their pain.

He recognized that look. It was one of worry and fear and unstable hope that all would turn out right.

He recognized it because it was the same look he'd had in his eyes as he'd lain bleeding, watching his family die, when he'd been completely human.

But the circumstances were much different here. The fate of those three behind him wasn't as written in stone as it had been for Cyborg's family. It was being controlled entirely by the man behind him and not in the hands of tragedy.

And Leonardo wasn't helpless here- even with his hands tied, there was something he could do about it.

Out of nowhere, a small army of Slade's robots entered the room. Leo glanced at them strangely, like he wasn't comfortable fighting along them, as no one should be.

They headed for the other Titans immediately and the fight begun. They were a newer model, sturdier than the ones Cy had battled. But they didn't take him, seeing that their creator's apprentice was closer. They went for Robin, Star, and BB, a few also heading towards Raven, who generated a shield around herself and the turtles, seemingly ignoring them.

Leo bit his lip and looked back at the robotic teen.

Cyborg stared at him with his organic eye. "You don't have to listen to him." He said.

"Yes I do." Leo responded softly, even as he swung one katana.

Turning, Cy avoided it. "There's more than one option here, and you know it."

"None of them end well." Leo replied, twisting around into a roundhouse kick that hit home. Cyborg staggered back- the blow hadn't hurt at all, but it was certainly a 'nudge'. He was holding back. "I'm just picking the one that works out best for my brothers."

Moving forward quickly, Cy caught the young ninja by surprise and pinned him against a wall. "Both of us know that sending them back alone isn't anywhere near the best thing you can do for them."

"It beats death."

"You don't know that."

In Cyborg's opinion, being alone was worse than being dead. For years he'd wished he'd died with his family.

In a way, Victor Stone had. But Cyborg had a new family.

Leo's face was soft- Cy knew that the turtle understood. But he was just as stubborn as his red-clad brother was.

Looking away, he stared at his siblings. "I'm not going to let them die." He said quietly.

Bringing up his elbows, turning fast, he brought them down hard, breaking Cyborg's grip on him. Kicking out, he knocked him away.

In seconds, the drones were on him, keeping him down. Cy couldn't even use the proton cannon built into his arm.

Leo looked at him sadly. He swallowed. "I'm sorry. But there's no other options."

&&&&&

_What am I doing? _Leo questioned himself, even as he snuck up behind the green-eyed girl. _He was right- there are more options. Why am I doing this?_

To his left, guarded by a dark shield that was being bombarded by Slade's robots as they tried to reach the Titan inside, he heard his baby brother moan in pain.

He closed his eyes at his answer. _Because I can't hurt them anymore._

_Either way, you're hurting them._

The ninja grit his teeth. That android had really gotten to him.

To his far right, Leo could see the boy, who also seemed to have been taught the martial arts, of a different style, of course. When he'd listened in on their breakfast conversation this morning, he'd heard the leader of the Titans being called Robin, the one Slade wanted to take care of himself.

Gratefully, Leo ignored that one and did as his 'master' wished. The honor he once harbored seemed to bleeding from his hands in a cascade with each wrongful deed he performed. The less innocent and good people he had to attack, the better.

Spinning his swords, he ran and leaped, hitting the alien girl feet first in the back. Startled, she fell to the floor but put up a fight.

Leo was surprised at how strong she was. It was beyond an earthly strength, that was for sure. Her struggles were aggravating his own injury.

But he'd faced things not of this world before. He and his brothers. After some sore bruising, they always made it through.

Quickly, he reached into the belt full of gadgets and gizmos that Slade had given him. There was something like a set of handcuffs, but with each cuff cut in half. According to Slade, they were made of some sort of newly developed metal that was going to be sent out to the military for armor on trucks and other vehicles. The man had refocused the idea, however, and developed these to contain any person that they didn't want to get away.

Placing his hands as hard as he could on her arms until her hands were even with the floor, he jammed one down over her right wrist, getting it as close to her skin as possible. He quickly did likewise with the other before getting up.

Yelling, she got on her knees and yanked on her hands as hard as possible. But she couldn't get them out.

He watched in surprise as green lasers came out of here eyes aimed for the cuffs. Luckily, it did not damage them.

Reminding himself that he was dealing with superheroes, he set off too find the other two Titans. The dark girl was with his brothers, and there was a green… changeling?

Leo watched as the green Titan changed from a wolf into a snake. He'd seen him as a dinosaur before, among other things.

How was he supposed to bring something like _that_ down?

Hoping the Titan wouldn't change into a tyrannosaurus rex, he interrupted the fight.

Suddenly, he wasn't an animal anymore. Just a green teenager with pointy ears. "Your brothers miss you, ya know."

Aiming a kick at the teen's side, he nodded. "I miss them, too."

Turning into a bear, his opponent launched himself towards him, wrapping him in with thick arms. Leo felt like he was being crushed; he could barely move.

Fingering a smoke bomb, Leo threw it at their feet. The shape-shifter started coughing. When he let go, reverting back to his regular form, the formerly blue-clad turtle elbowed him in the shoulder, before turning around and kicking him in the stomach, feeling bad the whole time.

A large group of drones were immediately on him, pointing something that looked like small Triceraton blasters at his chest. The green boy sat very still, but stared at Leonardo.

Looking away quickly, he hurried over to where the final Titan was.

&&&&&

Slade grinned beneath his mask at his apprentice's progress. This was proving to be a very entertaining fight.

Curious as to how Leonardo would handle Raven, daughter of the demon that had nearly destroyed the planet, he sighed and moved towards Robin. It was best they wrapped this up quickly- he could rely on his cameras to provide him with that quizzical answer.

Running forward, he jumped into the air and came down in the middle of the battle, twisting his foot towards Robin's chest even before he touched the ground.

The blow hit, but not right on target. Seeing him, Robin had turned slightly and had only got caught on his right shoulder. Reacting quickly, the teen twisted his metal bo staff into Slade's elbow.

They quickly fell into the rhythm of battle, one as such he always enjoyed sharing with his former apprentice. The ones to come with Leonardo promised to be just as memorable, but he had to face it, Robin was more like him than the turtle.

That's why he'd been his first choice- and why things hadn't worked out. This was a talent that could be harvested for a time, but not entirely molded.

Leonardo's was similar. It would be difficult- but it was doable, he was sure.

Slamming the leader of the Titans into a wall, he looked down on him. "Really, Robin. You should visit more often. It's always a pleasure."

The Boy Wonder glared, working himself out of his position. "Yeah, beating you always gives me the same feeling." He grunted.

Out of his grasp, the Titan slid between his legs, came up and kicked him in the back. Turning, Slade swung his arm and caught him in the chest before kicking his legs out from under him. Before he could get up, he kicked him again, placing his foot on his back when all was done, holding him down. "I wish we had more time, Robin. For old times sakes. But you caught me at a bad time- I still have many things to take care of, manners to teach my apprentice. Perhaps next time."

Leaving his drones to take care of Robin, he turned and watched.

Leonardo wasn't quite done with Raven. He could've played with Robin a little longer.

But miss out on the battle? No, it was worth it.

Grinning again, he watched each move his apprentice made, looking for his strengths and weaknesses.

There was still so much he could learn.

&&&&&

It wasn't as bad as the first time around; if Mikey could take comfort in anything, it was in that. But the differences were few and far between.

The hard floor was cool against his cheek. Everything else felt blazing hot, inside him and around him. So each time Raven would transfer her hand to him, the cooling sensation it brought was always a relief. Some of the prickling pain would even disappear with it.

But then the hand would go away, moved to one of his brothers, and he'd grit his teeth, crushed by the throbbing waves of agony as they moved throughout him once more.

Part of the time, he was aware of the fight going on outside the shield of dark energy protecting him. It was strange to watch though; everything looked like chalk drawings on a blackboard.

Leo was cleaning house out there. And eventually, he started heading their way.

&&&&&

She only had two hands, but rotating them relieved the turtles of some of their pain at least. Switching one hand off of Michelangelo, she placed it on Donatello's shoulder, all the time watching their brother as he came closer.

He stared through the shield- not at her, but at his siblings. Turning behind him, he quickly took notice of Slade, who'd joined in the fight- dueling Robin.

The telekinetic girl had also seen where the villain kept the device that manipulated the probes. Reaching out with her mind, she tried to find it once more.

Leonardo turned back to them, placing one hand gently against the shield. Finally, he looked up at her. "How… how are they doing?" He asked quietly, risking this question simply because his 'master' wasn't watching.

Raven glared at him, trying to play the guilt card. "They'd be better if you tried stopping Slade instead of fighting us."

Ashamed, he looked away. "I want to… but they'd be dead before I even got close."

"You're a ninja, aren't you? I'd assume you practice stealth. Put it to use."

"It's not that simple." He answered.

Moving her hand off Raphael, she switched it back to the turtle in orange. "Well, if it can't be done, than I suggest you find another way. Because until you give in to him, Slade is going to threaten their lives until the day you die."

The turtle looked at his sword for a long second, and strong feelings of desperation flowed off of him and to her. But he shook his head, wiping them out, before she could say anything. "I have another way." He looked her in the eye. "But there's too many players right now for it to work."

&&&&&

The first thing Slade saw Leonardo do was strike at the shield repeatedly with his swords.

He was distracted for a moment upon hearing slow clicking sounds. Looking down at his arm, he saw the red knob that controlled the probes inside Raphael shrouded in dark energy, turning.

Immediately, he gripped the knob and turned it back to where it was. Holding it tightly between his fingers while pressing on the other two with his remaining fingers.

He didn't think Raven would start turning the blue knob- they didn't want Leonardo in the same predicament as his brothers. However, he kept an eye on it. With the battle as bad as it was, the girl might just do that.

But she didn't. In fact, she seemed to stop all together after awhile. _Very odd._

Glancing back up, he was disappointed to see that he'd missed his apprentice get past the roadblock Raven's shield provided. Between trying to ease the turtles' pains, hold up a shield, and manipulate the knobs on the device, she might've been overextended.

Yes, it was possible, but he'd seen her do much more than that.

Nevertheless, he watched as she picked up a chair behind her and hurled it into Leo. The young ninja was hit in the arm, but missed the majority of the object.

The next thing she threw at him, a drawer from the reception desk, was sliced in half by his katana. Keeping the sword out straight, he quickly turned and placed it at her throat.

Black energy surrounded that too, but before she could turn it against him, Slade's robots had the modified Triceraton weapons aimed at her. She couldn't stop them all.

Glaring beneath her hood, she released her telekinetic grip on the weapon. After a few moments, Leo sheathed it, still holding its twin in his left hand. He watched her for a moment, and walked over to Slade. The two remained a fair distance apart.

"You've done well, my apprentice."

He looked him in the eye, for once. "Can you turn it off now? Please?"

Slade did not nod, nor did he shake his head. But he did turn the knobs a little, lowering the intensity of the probes' inner attacks.

Finding the strength to speak, he could hear Raphael. "…Leo. You-" The rest of his words were lost in a mumble as he bowed his head to rest.

Despite that, they seemed to hit the eldest of the four like a rock. Though he could not understand them, the emotion engraved in them was certainly enough to break his apprentice's demeanor.

It was time he took care of this.

"I believe I have another assignment for you."

Leo looked at him in disbelief. "Now?" There was dread in his voice.

"Yes." Slade said harshly. "And it's for your own good. This time, you will be making a delivery." Watching the quizzical look, he continued. "I want you to take them, my apprentice, to a man called Bishop. I want you to leave them with him and forget about them completely. You serve me." He reminded him.

The turtle's eyes widened in shock and he heard his brothers grunt in protest. The black-clad ninja seemed at a loss for words. "No…" He finally got out. "No- he'll kill them!"

"This remains to be seen. However, refuse me this and I _will_ kill them. They stand a chance with Agent Bishop, not with me."

His hands were starting to shake. He shook his head. "He'll kill them." He insisted. "You're asking me to murder them. By leaving them with him, I'll be killing my brothers."

"Did you not say you would kill for me?" He prodded him.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Finally, a strangled, dry sob tore itself out of Leo's throat. He bowed his head, looking away, and more followed.

Slade stepped forward. "Be careful, apprentice. You're showing your weakness." He spoke, referring to the conversation they'd had earlier today.

Still not looking at him, Leo swallowed. "Yeah. And you're showing yours."

Before he could prepare for it, the remaining katana, still in the teenager's right hand, arced toward the console on his arm. With one strike, it was cut down the middle; each knob rendered useless as sparks flew from inside the damaged machinery.

Leo was grinning now. "Sorry about that."

Teeth grit, Slade swung his fist at the ninja's injured wrist. Despite the guard, the blow was hard enough to hurt badly and Leo winced in pain. Taking the opportunity, Slade kicked out. His foot made contact with Leo's plastron and sent him backwards, into the drones guarding Starfire.

Breathing heavily, he noticed her and slipped her a vile of what Slade recognized to be the acid.

The guards by Raven suddenly flew backwards, breaking open against the wall. Standing up, she helped the three turtles by her side, now free of the effects of the probes, to their feet before hovering in the air, zooming towards Robin and Cyborg.

Pouring a few drops of the acid on the cuffs, Starfire managed to free herself and went over to help Beast Boy. In seconds, most of his drones were destroyed and all of the Titans were free.

Slowly, Leonardo rose to his feet. He looked ready to finish what they'd started, but a certain turtle got in the way.

"Hey!" Raphael shouted. "I got a bone to pick with you!" He said, even as he managed to kick Slade to the ground. Sais out, they cut across his armor. "You mess with _my_ brother, you mess with me!"

Swinging his leg, he knocked the temperamental ninja to the ground. By then, the other two were on him.

Three months of watching their every action proved to pay off. Armed with knowledge of their fighting styles, he soon enough managed to get them away.

Leaping backwards he looked at Leonardo. "Believe me, my apprentice. We're not quite finished here yet."

Then, he pressed a button and a metal wall came down blocking the path to follow him. And he disappeared into the night.

&&&&&

Growling, Raph struck out at the wall, but no damage was done. Cyborg walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Watch out."

Donny watched in fascination as the android's arm transformed into a cannon. A hole was blown in the wall and the Titans were quick to file through it soon to be followed by the turtles.

The pain from the probes was still buzzing slightly within him, but was wearing off quickly. Don was just grateful everything seemed to have worked out as well as it had.

Starfire flew out of the clinic and returned quickly. "He has vanished." She told them.

He shook his head. It would've been nice if they'd gotten Slade. But Don could deal with that loss. Their brother was back. That win made everything else seem minor.

Angrily, Robin smacked a wall. He took a deep breath. "We'll be seeing him again soon enough." He finally admitted.

Leo stood by a room. "He took it all." He said, looking at it in wonder. "All the stuff I stole for him- it's gone."

Cyborg nodded. "He's usually prepared for any outcome. Probably had some of his drones carry it off while we were fighting." The robotic teen grinned. "I see you found another option after all."

Leo looked up and managed a small smile.

Before he knew it, he was wrapped in a hug from their youngest brother. "It's _so_ good to have you back, Leo!"

Don walked over. "Mikey, let go before you choke him to death!" He joked.

The turtle loosened his grip, but kept him in the hug, all the same. Soon, Leo was returning it.

Raph moved over too. "Seriously, fearless leader." He said. "You ever try to brush us off like that again, I'll kick your ass all the way back home."

Glancing at him, Leo nodded. "That's fine by me."

&&&&&

(sighs) Dear God, that was a long chapter! I hope you're all happy with it!

Was it actiony enough for you? I hope so!

Next few will be mostly some relaxing at the Tower. Stay tuned for them though. I'll have some humor.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

Hi guys! I'm back and feeling much better!

Once again, I'm _so_ sorry for how long it took me to get that last chapter up. The situation was out of my control. As it was this time, as well.

So now I have the next one here for ya! Take it as a peace offering!

Anyways, the next three (?) chapters won't have any action. Just some relaxing stuff and deep thought. Still, I plan to make it interesting, so I hope you'll read!

Please enjoy!

Beta read by the spectacular Sewer Slider! Check out her fics!

Disclaimer: Turns out, changing your name to that of one of the creators does _not_ give you the rights to their stuff- the TMNT, in particular. So, I still don't own them, and now I have to deal with everyone calling me Kev.

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Surprisingly, most of the ride back to Titans Tower was spent in silence. Mikey was _more_ than willing to talk, but Leo was sullen, choosing to stare out the window.

The T-Car, an automobile that nearly had Don foaming at the mouth the first time he saw it, wasn't as big as the Battle Shell. Since it couldn't fit all of them, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven had opted to get back to their home by flying/levitating.

With Cyborg driving and Robin riding shotgun, the four brothers had managed to squeeze tightly into the back. It was uncomfortable, but livable.

By the time they arrived, Mike was finally able to understand why Leo had been so quiet. Leaning against the car door, he was half-asleep.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, however, he was wide awake. Eager for some leg room, the orange-banded turtle nearly knocked Raphael out of the car just to get out.

"First things first," He said, "We order a pizza. Then-"

Sluggishly getting out of the car, Leo corrected him. "First things first, we get the probes out of us."

"I have to agree with your brother on this," Robin said, walking out of the large garage. "Slade won't waste any time repairing that device- this is our window of opportunity."

Cleaning up a smudge on his car, Cyborg waited until the leader had left. "Don't worry," He told Mikey; "You'll get it. We got like, five pizza places on speed dial, and two of 'em stay open extra late just for us. And with BB and Star, you _know_ there's gonna be some celebratin'." The robotic teen frowned. "Huh, Not exactly a great combo if they decide to cook... I better lend a hand if we wanna keep our taste buds."

"Thank you," Mike told him sincerely. He'd already tried Starfire's cooking. He hadn't heard anything about Beast Boy's preferences, but from the sound of it, it wasn't good.

Eventually, they got to the living room. Naturally, as they were unrestricted by the laws of traffic, the other three Titans had already arrived. In the kitchen, Robin and Starfire were talking, the latter giggling every once in a while. Raven was by the machine, seeming to be making sure everything was in order.

Cy grabbed Mike by the shoulder. "All right, then. You first, man."

Sighing, he climbed up into the seat while Robin and Star came back over. As the large tubes were attached to him, he glanced over at Leo, who was removing the armor that Slade had provided with Raph's help.

The ninja met his gaze and smiled reassuringly at him. But he didn't look too calm himself.

Hoping his brother just needed a little time to get over this, he smiled back as the last tube was positioned.

&&&&&

The easier things, like the armor covering his arms and legs, Leo could take off without any help. Other things, like the plate over his plastron and the one covering his shell, were more difficult. Without even asking though, Leo found assistance from Raph.

Watching Mikey silently, the elder turtle let him get it off. The process was simple, something that all of the tubes did _not_ imply. It took several minutes, but soon, Mikey was done, beaming happily and jumping out of the seat when he was finally free.

With a grunt, Raph managed to get the piece off. "Man," he said, knocking his knuckles against the armor; "This stuff makes our shells look like plastic."

Leo shrugged. "Yeah. Slade steals only the best."

His brother patted his shoulder. "Forget about it, bro. Just relax, okay? We can talk about it later." He said, uncharacteristically empathetic.

Nodding, the ninja undid the guard on his injured wrist. Quickly, Raph saw the bandages. He frowned. "How'd you get that?"

Lifting the cloth slightly, he inspected the sprain. It was sore to his touch and the skin was black and blue. Leaving the bandages in place, he tucked his arm down. "A fight," Was all he answered.

Raph looked like he wanted to know more, but he closed his mouth. They watched Donny get into the seat, ready to have all of the probes removed from his body.

The younger of the two looked down. Don's bag was by his feet. Sitting down, he rummaged through it and took out an extra of Leo's masks. "Brought this up for you. Your pads are in there, too."

Leo took the cloth. It was soft to his touch, unlike the metallic band Slade had given him. He quickly tied it on, getting on the rest of his old gear when he was done.

It was like a piece of himself was restored.

"Dude, take a seat," someone said behind him.

Leo turned to see the green changeling. "Huh?"

The teen was smiling. "Sit down, you look tired. And you got awhile 'til it's your turn."

"Oh. All right." He mumbled, sitting down.

The shape-shifter flopped down on the couch. His exuberance and body language reminded him of Mikey. "Name's Beast Boy." He introduced himself.

Nodding, the turtle recalled how he'd kicked him in the stomach not too long ago. "Nice to meet you." From how long his brothers had been around this group, he was sure they already knew his name.

"You guys gonna be staying here tonight?"

"Uh," Leo frowned; "Well, we probably should-"

Beast Boy sat up. "I didn't mean it like that, dude. We got plenty of room here. And we don't get to host often."

Before he could answer, Mikey hopped on over. "Really? Ah, that would be _so_ cool! Can we stay, Leo? Please?"

The ninja looked between the two. He was feeling _very_ tired. And he did want to thank the Teen Titans. "Sure," Leo said.

Starfire floated on over. "Glorious!" She shouted. "This will be a most delightful experience!" She looked at him. "Leonardo, would you enjoy some unhealthy sugar candies? Or perhaps a carbonated, caffeine beverage?"

Leo smiled. "I'm okay, but thank you." He politely declined.

"Ya know," Raph began, "Starfire has something in the fridge that you should try, bro. What's it called again?"

Star perked up. "Oh! The pudding of sadness."

"Yeah, that's it," He said, grinning. "Mike got into it while they were gone and I have to say, it flushed the sadness right out of him."

Leo looked from him to the Titan. He recognized that look… mischievous. But he didn't want to disappoint her. "Okay," He said.

"I shall fetch it for you," Starfire said cheerfully, going back to the kitchen.

How bad could it be?

&&&&&

Just before Cyborg finished with Raphael, Robin watched as Leo got up, asked where the bathroom was, and tried desperately not to hurry to it.

It didn't take long to figure out the source of this problem. There was an empty bowl on the couch that had, since this morning, held the newest batch of Starfire's 'pudding of sadness'. The poor turtle had, despite the sure disintegration of his taste buds, eaten every last bite of it.

As much as he loved Starfire, and God, did he love her, the Tamaranian's cooking was one thing he could certainly love without.

It was something funny to think about- of the five of them, the only two Titans who weren't at least decent at cooking, for Beast Boy wasn't that bad at times, were the girls.

Beast Boy and Michelangelo were trying their hardest to keep a straight face. The Boy Wonder suspected that Raphael too was grinning beneath all of the equipment that covered his face.

"Odd as it sounds," Donatello began behind him; "we're mainly trying to get Leo to relax," He explained, his own smile starting to wilt. "He kinda has this tendency to brood about situations where he feels he could've done more."

Robin nodded. "I know the feeling. So, you guys are going to be staying here?"

"Not for long," The turtle assured him. "We'll be gone before you know it."

"It's not a problem," The Titan said. "It'll be interesting having some guests. "I just hope you don't mind the alert that goes off around here. It can get loud."

The ninja laughed. "We might be ninjas, but we're still teenagers. Raph and Mikey can sleep through just about anything, sometimes. Leo's the only light sleeper among us."

He grinned. "That's part of the reason why it's so loud. Star, Cyborg, and Beast Boy are the same way. Feel free to join us, if you want. After seeing what the four of you can do, the help would be more than welcome."

"Thanks," Don said, "But don't tell Mikey. He'll bring out his Turtle Titan uniform."

Robin blinked in confusion. He had no idea what the turtle was talking about, but he decided it was better not to ask.

The doors _swished_ open and Leo came back into the room. He looked a lot different without the armor on him; not to mention tired. The blue suited him, however.

"Friend," Starfire greeted him; "If it would be pleasing, I can return to the kitchen and prepare more pudding of sadness for you. Or perhaps anther meal from my home planet- enough for all of us."

"No!" Beast Boy and Mikey shouted out at the same time, the humor of their prank stricken from their faces.

Mike grinned nervously. "That's okay- I'm good. And hey, you're being so nice, I could make you something we eat."

"Or we can just order a pizza." Beast Boy said. "No reason to give them all dysentery- _delicious_- you're _delicious_ food all at once." He quickly recovered.

Leo nodded politely. "And I'm full. It was… good."

Ever cheerful, Star was unaffected by any of this and didn't appear to have noticed at all. Smiling, she flew back over to the couch. "Very well."

Cyborg was grinning as he let Raphael up, who had an enormous look of relief on his face. "Three down, one to go. Ya ready?" He asked Leo.

The turtle nodded and walked over to the chair. Eventually, he was done as well. The second he was, Beast Boy was leaping out of his chair. "All right! All four of you are now officially probeless!" He shouted. "Who wants pizza?"

There was a chorus of affirmatives that could've shattered glass. Except for from Raven, of course, who wasn't typically so enthusiastic.

Leonardo, too- and Robin could now at least understand why.

&&&&&

Raph looked on as the Titans headed off to bed. They'd stayed up an hour or two, mostly eating pizza and talking. No time for any elaborate pranks, much to Mike and Beast Boy's disappointment.

Besides a few sentences, Leo was fairly quiet, as he'd been expected to be. Besides the thoughts going through him that blurrily reflected on his features, he looked absolutely exhausted.

Currently, Leo was sitting on a sleeping bag; a fourth had been brought out for him. Frowning, Raph pulled out his shell cell and pressed the button to connect to Splinter.

The fact that they'd forgotten to do so, up until now, was clear. But he was sure his Sensei wouldn't be upset.

It took a minute or two just for the old rat to realize he'd answered correctly. _"Ah, Raphael. Is that you, my son?_

"Yeah, Sensei," Leo's head turned up a little upon hearing that. "How're things down there?"

_"They are well, Raphael. And for you?"_

"We got Leo back," Raph paused for a second. When his Sensei didn't say anything, he went on. "You wanna talk to him?"

_"If you would be so kind,"_ Splinter said.

Taking the phone, he held it out to Leonardo.

Slowly, the turtle accepted it.

&&&&&

_"Leonardo?"_

Leo did not answer right away. He still recalled speaking to his Sensei over the astral plane earlier today. And while there had been nothing ill said there, the conversation had of course not been a pleasant one.

"Hi, Master Splinter," He eventually got out.

_"It is good to hear your voice, my son."_

"Yours, too," The ninja said.

For a while, there was silence on both ends. Splinter sighed. _"You should not be so hard on yourself, Leonardo,"_ He said. Even through that, he had sensed his son's inner emotions. _"None of these events were of your doing, my son."_

"Yes, Sensei."

_"Believe me, Leonardo. I speak the truth. You are not at fault here,"_ There was another moment of silence. _"All will be well soon, my son."_

"Okay," Leo said. He paused. "Thank you, Sensei."

Before the rat could say anything more, he handed the phone to the nearest person- Donatello.

Splinter talked to him and Michelangelo; the subject of their further stay was explained, before the phone ended back to Raph.

The turtle in red was standing. He'd left earlier and came back with something.

"Thought you might want this back," He said, handing then to him.

Leo took the katanas- _his_ katanas. A small smile actually appeared. He looked up at his brother. "Thank you."

Grinning, Raph patted him on the back. "You're welcome, bro."

For another few minutes, they stayed up, talking about things.

His brothers might've stayed up longer, he wasn't sure. But Leo hadn't slept since Slade had taken him two days ago.

This was the first time he felt safe to do so.

&&&&&

And there we go! So what do you think?

The next chapter will be a bit more deep, yet there will be some serious humor. So I hope you'll stay tuned.

And please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Look! It's me! On time! (gasps) Could it be?

Yes, yes it is! And another surprise- a first for this story, a _really_ long chapter!

Wow, I hope my readers haven't suffered heart attacks. Well anyways, here is chapter thirteen. I hope to break the unlucky rule- let's see how it goes.

To refresh your memory once more, Metropolis is Chicago, Gotham is New York.

Also, during the part from Raven's POV, any italics that are single sentences (Ex: _Happy._) are emotions she's sensing off other people.

Enjoy!

Beta read by the incredible Sewer Slider! Go read her fics!

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, but I do own a copy of the special limited edition PBBZ reprint of the TMNT comic, Volume 1, Number 1, signed by Peter Laird himself. Winning that art contest is the closest I'll come to owning the TMNT.

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Grinning deviously, on the high that only such a day of pranking can provide, Beast Boy and Michelangelo sat high above the ground, plotting their next scheme.

"This is so cool," Mikey said, glancing at their current hiding spot. They were crouching on a beam in one of the hallways, awaiting their next victim. "Are you sure no one will see us?"

"Positive," The changeling assured his new partner in crime. "Well, unless they look up- but no one ever does, trust me."

Footsteps alerted them to the world below. Immediately, they looked down. "Emerald Moped to Turtle Titan, come in, Turtle Titan," Beast Boy hissed, using the code they'd made up, even though they were right next to each other. It was fun anyway. "The Fly is approaching the spider web. Over."

"I read you, Emerald Moped," Mikey whispered back; "Launch mission? Over."

"Permission granted, Turtle Titan. Ready? Over."

"Ready. Over."

With that, attached to a piece of thread, Beast Boy turned into an ameba. Using a fishing rod, Michelangelo reeled him down into the middle of the hallway… directly in front of Raphael.

Once in position, Beast Boy morphed into a tarantula.

Raph screamed, definitely not expecting to see a giant bug two inches in front of his face, and moved backwards. There, he was met with three water balloons from overhead.

Mikey jumped to the ground by Beast Boy, who'd changed back to his regular form. The two were laughing hysterically.

"Oh, _that_ was a-" BB didn't get to finish his sentence. At that moment, the two noticed that Raph's face had turned about as red as his mask.

Eeping, they turned and ran, Beast Boy turning into a horse and Mikey leaping onto his back.

"Come back here, you frickin' cowards!" Raph yelled after them, putting on speed. "Wait 'til I get my hands on you!"

&&&&&

Standing in the stairway that lead up to the roof of the Tower, Donatello's attention was momentarily drawn away from the jammed door and to the hallway a few steps away. There, he was presented with the four-second image of his younger brother, screaming, riding a green horse, who was also screaming, or perhaps neighing, in fright. They were being closely followed by a cursing Raphael.

Don shrugged, shaking his head. If Mike and Beast Boy had wanted help, they _really_ should've thought twice about coating his bo staff in peanut butter this morning. Where they'd gotten that much of the stuff, he was unsure, but he figured they could suffer a little longer before they were even.

Becoming more serious, the purple-clad ninja knocked on the door for what must've been the hundredth time. "Leo?" He asked. "C'mon, bro- can you come back inside? You've been up here since we woke up."

He was rewarded with silence. Sighing, Don continued. "You must be hungry. We're having lunch soon. Do you want anything?" Again, nothing. "I promise I won't let Mike or Raph give you any of Starfire's cooking again."

The turtle stood there for two minutes in silence before knocking again, his eye ridges furrowed together in worry. Yes, his elder brother had a tendency of handling his emotions like this, but closing himself off had never done him any good.

"Please, Leo?" Don pleaded. "Just… at least tell me you're okay."

Nothing- but then: "I'm all right, Don," Leo said, sounding tired. "I'm just not ready to… ya know."

Nodding, even though Leo couldn't see it, Don sat down. "Okay, bro. But I'll be right here."

A few minutes later, a monotonous voice took him by surprise. "The only reason why he doesn't tell you his problems is because he doesn't know how to," Raven said, sitting beside him. "Not right away, at least. He has to think about it for a long time. He's divided, you see- one part of him sees that he's done nothing wrong while the other side views that statement in another fashion; he did nothing, he could've done more."

"But we all have a side like that in ourselves," Don refuted.

"Yes, but it's never quite the same for each person. From what I've seen of Leonardo, the only thing that's clear to him is gray. The black and white of life pose too many questions. Not even he quite knows what he feels- he wants to side with both of these halves at the same time. That's why he can't talk to you; he feels you'll only side with one part of him even though the other's such a large piece. He doesn't understand which part of him is right. That's why he can't talk to you now," She repeated.

Don frowned. _Ever._

Raven looked at him. "Cyborg's in the garage, working on the car. Why don't you go help him?"

That car was the _sweetest_ thing he'd ever seen. Every part of him wanted to go down there…

Instead, he looked at the door. "My brother…" _Leo, just give us a chance._

"He just needs time," Raven said. "Let me try to talk him first; I have a few things I think he should hear."

Raising an eye ridge, Don looked at her, trying to understand exactly what she was implying.

All she did was turn her head towards him, face absolutely straight, in a way that said: I'm saying no more.

Biting his lip, Don eventually stood, trusting the Titan to care for his brother.

He was going to feel mighty guilty if he had a wonderful time working on the T-Car while Leo remained upset.

But who better to get into his older brother's head than an empath?

&&&&&

The car was so shiny, he could see his face reflected in it. Cyborg grinned. His baby looked beautiful and when he was done tuning her up and applying two coats of wax, she'd be gorgeous.

A huffing sound drew his attention from the sparkling radiance and to a different form all together that lacked that gleam in it. And it could use a bath.

Raph's eyes were narrowed. "Where. Are. They?" He demanded.

Cyborg shrugged. "Behind the boxes to your left."

Shrieking, Mikey jumped up, running around the garage, away from his brother, an unmistakable green hummingbird flew along with him, turning into Beast Boy when Raph was far enough away. "Cyborg…" The changeling whined, "How could you?"

The mechanical teen snorted and looked up. "That's what the two of you get after messing with my baby's stereo. She is a perfect automobile, an mechanism of comfort, entertainment, and excellence, and she does _not _approve of the Barney song or any other reject people have the brutality to call music!"

He and Mike chuckled, the green one looking up at the ceiling. "Yeah, that was a good one."

Glaring, Cy turned to Raph. "Get 'em."

The two screamed and ran, Raph inches away.

Cyborg laughed. "Now _that's_ music," He said. Humming, he worked on the T-Car.

Another figure entered the garage. Looking up, the Titan saw it was Donatello. He grinned. "Hey, there. Come to give me a hand? Or maybe tell me how the hell you got past my system and snuck into the Tower?"

Don sat down, also smiling. "Adapted a SLICKS. It gets the codes, we go inside."

Cy looked at him, his organic eye watchful. "A SLICKS? Those are pretty hard to get a hold of… especially considering havin' one as a civilian is a federal offense. Should I be worried?"

The turtle shrugged. "No. I only got it so we could get into the Tower, find that information you had on the probes, get them out of us, and find Leo. We only do the breaking in stuff when we absolutely have to."

"So… you've done this before?" Cyborg was a little worried now.

"Not to good people," Don assured him. Taking some tools, he stood and began to work on the car. "With the exception of you. We have some enemies. A group called the Foot and a man named Agent Bishop- he works at Area 51, though, I suppose he moved his base somewhere else by now."

Thinking back to the conversation at breakfast yesterday, Cyborg laughed. "'The clan of feet' and the 'leader of the religious sect'. I get it now," Seeing Don's look of confusion, he explained. "One of you told Star about your enemies. She didn't exactly relay it back to us the way you told her, obviously."

The turtle grinned, piecing together what had happened.

Working on the car, the two were silent in their work for a while. Without being told what to do, Donatello seemed to understand the work that was being done and carried it out well. Cy's car was on her way to making all the Ferraris look like baby buggies twice as fast as usual.

"Hey," He reprimanded, "don't be drooling on my paint job," He'd noticed Don's eye for gadgets and anything involving mechanics. And how well he worked with them. "You do this kinda stuff often?"

"When I can," The purple-clad ninja explained. "I have a lot of projects. Sometimes small things, like designing the Shell Cells, or bigger things like the Battle Shell, or the Turtle Sub, or the Tunneler, or the Copter, and the Shell Cycles, and there's the Sewer Slider- haven't used that in a while-"

The Titan cut him off there. "You built all of that?"

"Well, some of the things I modified- the Battle Shell, that's like our own version of the T-Car, used to be a moving van. The first one, that one got blown up by those Foot guys I told you about, was an armored truck. Our new one's a bit bigger. I made side panels, and missile launchers-"

Again, he was cut off. "Don't you live in the sewers? How do you find this stuff?"

Don shrugged modestly. "I'm resourceful."

Cyborg looked at his baby. His car didn't have missile launchers…

_Ah, she has a proton cannon. Stop complaining._

"I'm watchin' you," He told the terrapin, a smile on his face. "So, this Bishop guy? He hunts down aliens, huh?" Cyborg asked, trying to salvage what Starfire had said… at least, what had made sense. He figured he was on the right track- Area 51 and all.

"And anything that isn't human. He's…" Don paused, "Well, let's just say he's a bit obsessive in what he does. Everything's about destroying the alien threat, or trying to create an army of super soldiers- to destroy the alien threat. The only time I've seen him think of anything else is when he's busy cleaning up his messes before the President can notice. There was this time he staged an alien invasion. That caused some problems."

"Yeah, I remember that invasion. I heard about it on the news. Robin used to work with Batman down in Gotham and sometimes they talk. He said something about aliens."

Don nodded. "When we fought them, I guess we sped up the process. Bishop's aliens decayed faster than he expected. All of this mutagenic ooze got spilled over New York and mutated a bunch of animals and insects. We got to play Monster Hunters for a while… well, my brothers did. I ended up mutating myself."

Looking at him, the cybernetic teen could sense that this was still a somewhat sensitive subject. He decided to lighten up the mood. "That's the weirdest thing that's happened to you?" He asked as he got up, preparing to go in the car and work on the sound system. Barney had to go. "There was this one time, Beast Boy got a virus into my system. I tried to eat everything- thought the table was peanut brittle and this satellite a giant ice cream sundae."

Clearly appreciating the change in conversation, Don folded his hands over his chest. "I once met an artist who had a magic crystal on his pencil that made everything he drew come to life."

"Candy has come to life and tried to eat me."

"I'm a walking, talking turtle mutated by glowing ooze manufactured by aliens."

"I'm half human, half robot."

"I live with Mikey."

"I live with Beast Boy."

Don smirked. "I've lived with Mikey for _fifteen_ years."

"Damn, I can't top that one," Cy said, laughing. "Only known Beast Boy for four or so. But that's punishment enough. God must be reserving special places in heaven for you and me."

&&&&&

Holding one cup in her hands, another levitating behind her, Raven pressed her back to the wall when the two pranksters came rushing past yet again, taking a sharp left. Raphael was hot on their tails.

The red-clad turtle stopped, by her, panting. "Where'd they go?" He huffed.

_Anger. Embarrassment. Thrill. Retribution. Brotherly affection._

A hint of a smile showing on her face, the half-demon pointed an elegant finger in the direction she'd seen them travel in.

Raph grinned evilly. "Thanks."

Making sure none of the liquid had spilled out of the cups, Raven walked back to the stairwell, heading towards the roof.. She was growing curiously fond of the changeling, surprising her greatly, but typically she could care less how much trouble Beast Boy got into as long as it was within the safety of the Tower- and as long as it didn't annoy her. That counted for his new friend, as well.

But they'd decided to play 'Hide _The Book of Azar_ from Raven' today _and _booby-trap the door to her room. While they seemed to have some sort of brain cells in the fact that they had entered no further, they'd made that grave mistake indeed and she'd enjoy watching them pay.

That would have to wait, however. She had more important things to do.

By the door, Raven took the second cup into her hand and phased through the door, onto the roof. The average person would consider it a nice day- not too cold nor too warm; the sun was shining and large, puffy white clouds were in the air, casting numerous shadows.

A glance around the rooftop revealed Leonardo, sitting in the lotus position, his shell against the raised walls, no more five yards away.

He eyed her with little surprise. "Neat trick."

Sending the other cup floating again, she walked over to him. "It has its uses- like when people lock doors."

Leo didn't smile, but he looked amused. "Point taken. I was gonna come out… in a little bit."

_Uncertainty. _

Raven left that alone. Leonardo didn't even understand that he was deceiving himself in that statement- it was not something that would help him now were it to be discussed.

The telekinetic teen sent the second cup before the turtle, who hesitantly took it into his hands. "Your brothers said you liked tea," She said. "I'm usually the only one in the Tower who drinks it, so there's plenty. I figured you might like some."

Blinking, Leo stared down at the herbal tea before taking a quiet sip. He nodded. "Thank you. It's good."

Sitting down beside him, to his right, with her own cup, Raven folded her bare legs beneath her. "So what are you doing out here?"

Leo's eyes looked away from her and towards the skyline. "Just thinking."

_Pain. Self-reproach. Disgrace._

After a few seconds of silence, she too watched the sky. Stormy weather was more appealing to her, really. "I see. Care to elaborate?"

"Not really."

Accepting his answer, she allowed him his silence for another minute or so as she calmly drank her tea.

It sometimes got frustrating. She _knew_ why she couldn't afford to express her emotions as others did; she knew the danger of it and thus Raven lived her life keeping her feelings in check.

So being an empath was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing that she could get close to others, in a sense, anyways, without losing control of her powers. And a curse in that she had to contain those extra emotions in addition to her own.

And while feeling that energy they produced in such a human way, know that she'd never be able to appreciate her own emotions like them.

"These feelings will pass," She finally said. "You're very quick to blame yourself, aren't you? But holding on to failures that don't belong to you or even exist will just make it hurt longer."

There was some slight surprise on Leo's features, but he'd clearly been given a lesson on all of the Titan's abilities, for he wasn't shocked. "There was more I could've done."

"You did the best the situation allowed. Perhaps if certain events had gone differently, you could've done more. But from where I see it, you handled it well."

He looked at her. "You weren't there for all of it."

_Anger. Shame. Weakness._

"Were there openings when you were alone with Slade?" She asked.

He paused. "I took them all. It never worked. But I provoked him a few times. He'd activate the probes in my brothers as a punishment."

"Never you?"

"Just once. But that felt more like training."

Raven recalled what little Robin had told them of his own experience. Slade's idea of training was different than theirs. "You fought. I hope you at least hit him."

Laughter came out short, in a single breath. "Yeah, did that much."

Placing her cup of tea down, very gently, she took his right wrist in her hands. No one had missed the bandages when he'd taken off the armor yesterday, but they hadn't asked. They'd heard the question Raph had asked him and knew that by hearing it, they too were to respect the blue-banded turtle's wishes.

"That's how you got this," Her words were a statement, not a question. But Leo nodded anyway.

Looking away, she felt the injury in her hands, carefully moving her fingers over it and being wary of when he tensed. A sprain. Yes, she could fix this.

Soft, blue light radiated from her hands and she could now feel _where_ exactly the injury was inside Leo and the severity of it. With her powers, Raven urged it to mend and slowly, the bone complied.

When all was done, she removed her hands. "It'll be sore for a little while still, but it's no more than a bruising now," She informed him.

Apparently, no one had told him about this part. He rotated his wrist, pleased and silently awed at the results. "You heal too?"

She nodded, taking her tea back.

Leo smiled and placed his hand on the side of his cup. "Thank you."

Once the tea was finished, she set it aside. "So, what more do you feel you could've done?"

The ninja frowned. "I don't know. But there must've been something. There's always something."

"Not always," She refuted. "And even if there was, dwelling on it helps no one- and that includes yourself."

"I fought my brothers."

"You held your blows."

"But I never should've drawn my swords against them in the first place," He shook his head. "And then, Slade wanted me to take them to Bishop. Had I done that, I might as well have been their murderer. I could've stayed his apprentice and hurt so many people… At the museum, those people were afraid of me. They never should've even seen me."

"Believe it or not," Raven said, "I do understand how you feel. I think about the 'what ifs' sometimes… that's why when I tell you it does no good, I'm only speaking from experience. I feel I shouldn't be speaking at all- like you've heard this many times before. But trust me. Things could be worse. Those things _might've_ happened, but they didn't. You could be someone you aren't, but you're not.

"Things could be worse," She repeated. "I'm from a place called Azarath, a place my mother was taken after becoming pregnant with me. I'm the only living child of a powerful demon named Trigon, who was trapped by my people. His only way to Earth, our home that he wished to destroy, was through me. It was prophesied that I would be his portal to our world and thus, in my own way, bring about mankind's destruction."

Leo watched her. "But that never happened?"

"No, it did. I tried to fight it for awhile, I probably could've held out more, too. But my father sent an army of fire demons commanded by Slade, who worked for him then- it's a long story. The other Titans fought hard to protect me, but they couldn't be stopped. He would've killed them unless I intervened. So I did just that, became his portal, and brought him to Earth.

"Before that, I transferred my powers to my friends. So when Trigon came, pausing all life on Earth, ready to be destroyed, they were the only ones left. Instead of dying, I'd turned into a child and Robin found me. Later, he and the others fought against my father, something I thought impossible. But when they were brought down, and he tried to kill me, I too fought back. I regained my powers, turned back into who I am, and defeated him. I could've given in; the prophecy foretold he would slay and sire over Earth. But instead, I too fought back and now that prophecy is inept," She managed a smile. "So it could be worse."

Frowning, Leo rubbed his fingers.

_Sympathy. Amazement. Hesitation. Hope._

Raven added one thing, hoping he'd see the point. "I never would've been able to do any of that if it weren't for my friends. In the beginning, when I learned that my father would be coming soon, I did everything to make sure they didn't know what would happen… or what I was. But telling them was the best thing I could've done. They helped me. And without them, I never would've been able to stop Trigon."

Leonardo looked away turning these thoughts over in his head. Yes, he saw the wisdom in that.

But that other side of him was still strong in him. Failing, but going down with a war.

"What you did is inspiring," Leo finally said. A small grin appeared on his face. "You're definitely in the right business," It disappeared just as quickly. "And I wish I could do the same, but the situation is a bit different."

Raven had been expecting that. The important thing was that a seed of hope had been planted. She nodded. "You have me there. Luckily, I have some that are _exactly_ like yours," Seeing his look of confusion, she went on. "You weren't Slade's first apprentice, in case no one's told you. He's had two others."

He raised his head, seeming to pull a memory out into the open. "Yeah, I remember someone saying something about that- that things hadn't worked out with the last ones."

"The apprentice before you was a girl named Terra; she could manipulate earth. Very powerful- we didn't get along well. Beast Boy loved her- still does. She betrayed us, but in the end, she decided to help us. Slade's base then was in a volcano and her powers set it off. She saved the town stopping it, and we thought she'd killed Slade. But he made a deal with my father and you know the rest."

Leo nodded. "What about the first apprentice?"

"If you ask me, Slade still wants him. They have their similarities and Slade thought he saw someone he could mold. He was wrong. Similar or not, the apprentice had morals, the other didn't. In fact, he's a lot like you."

"So how did he get out of Slade's grasp?"

Raven stood, picking up the empty cup as she did so. "You'd do well asking him for yourself, Leonardo. Robin's inside, somewhere, and I'm sure he'll tell you his story. I've already told you mine."

One foot in front of the other, she walked away. At the door, she glanced back at him. "And Leonardo; the only thing that's worth holding onto are your family and friends. Remember that."

The seed had been watered. Raven once again phased through the door. It was up to this ninja to allow it to grow.

_Yearning._

&&&&&

Forty-five minutes later, Leo found himself inside the Tower again, walking throughout it in search of Robin.

No one had told him that he'd been the third of Slade's apprentices. He'd suspected something last night, during the battle, but had forgotten.

Raven had piqued his interest. There was something about her aura that told Leo that she didn't open up to people much. In a way, he felt honored that she'd revealed that part of herself.

And she made some good points. He should've been able to trust his brothers better. It was just… hard, sometimes. He didn't know why.

As he turned a corner, he nearly bumped into Starfire. The alien girl was surprised at first, than showed him the widest smile he'd seen. "Friend! You are out and about once more! I have not seen you for the whole duration of this day!"

He smiled back, scratched his shoulder. "Yeah… I had some thinking to do."

"I see," Star said. "I am in pursuit of two of your brothers and Beast Boy. He and Michelangelo have been behaving like clorbag vablernelks all morning and have upset your other brother. I do fear that he will kill them should he get a hold of them."

"Raph?" Leo laughed, for once feeling a little better. It was just like home. He had no idea what a clorbag vablernelk was, but he was sure it was similar to brat. "He'll try to, believe me. But don't worry about it. He'll probably just end up hitting them… and maybe a few other things. If I run into them, I'll try to make sure he doesn't do anything to Beast Boy."

Star looked relieved. "Oh no; if that is the circumstance, than please, allow him to do so. Beast Boy and Michelangelo did what I believe is called a 'prank telephone call' numerous times to me. Our refrigerator was not physically running."

Shaking his head, Leo closed his eyes. Mikey was asking for it- his new friend, too, it seemed.

Cheerfully, Starfire looked at him. "Do you wish to view a documentary of this planet's food you call a 'hot dog' with me? It is quite fascinating."

"Uh, that's okay. I see it every time Mikey eats one. Do you know where Robin is?"

"Robin?" Her eyes lit up a little at the name. "Of course. I last saw him in the training room just a few moments ago. It is further down this hallway, to your left."

"Thanks," Leo told her, waving as he walked away.

It felt good to be able to do that with his hand again. He was content with letting it heal on its own, but this was, without a doubt, a much more pleasant option.

When he got there, he found Robin putting away some of his Bird-a-rangs. He looked up upon seeing him. "Leo. Good to see you. Feeling any better?"

Entering the room, the ninja glanced around. It was large- very interesting. "A little. Are you busy?"

"No," Robin put the last weapon away. "I was just tidying up. Beast Boy and Michelangelo set a trip wire in here that triggered all of the things I use for practice to simultaneously fall over and create a mess when I came in."

Leo raised his hands in an apology. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know-"

"It's all right," Robin assured him. "Beast Boy does something like this all on his own several times a week. We should've expected he's go full force when he ran into someone of equal… talent. So how can I help you?"

The turtle paused. "Raven told me that Slade had other apprentices besides me. She said that you were his first one?"

The Boy Wonder nodded. "Not my proudest moment."

"She also said that we had a lot in common- as far as that goes. And that if I wanted to know what happened, to ask you."

Robin walked over to him. "Slade and I don't get along well. You see, sometimes… I get a little obsessed about catching him. He knew that and he constantly used those instances to speak to me. The day he got me as his apprentice, he tricked us into thinking he had a machine that could stop time. When we went after it, he also sent a henchmen of his, Cinderblock, to provide another obstacle. Because he was attacking me, I had the others go after the machine while I fought. It was all a trap. The machine didn't stop time, all it did was get the nanoscopic probes inside my friends. Cinderblock was a distraction- a way for Slade to get me alone and keep the probes out of me."

It was all sounding too familiar. "And then he threatened to kill them if you didn't become his apprentice?"

The Titan nodded. "Exactly. I wasn't going to let that happen, so I joined him. Like you, he had me steal some things for him first. The first time I ran into my team, I got away. The second time, we fought and Slade activated the probes when I didn't do what he said. The only way he'd stop them was if I fired upon them," His face grew a little grim. "So I did that, and he kept his word. I went back to his base and we fought.

"In the meantime, the Titans figured out about the probes. They came to get me anyway. They knew, but like your brothers, they didn't care. Slade activated the probes."

"So how did you stop him?"

"There was this device that released his probes when he activated them in everyone else. I held onto it and got some inside me. It's taken me awhile, but I've learned he and I _are_ alike, in some ways. In that instance, I knew that like me, he hates to lose. So, it was either deactivate the probes or let me die with my friends. And since I stand before you now, you know which option he picked. He wasn't happy about it- we seriously fought, but hey, we won. That battle, anyway."

Leo took in the story. Raven was right- it was similar. "…Do you ever feel that… that maybe you could've done more? Could've ended it sooner?"

"I used to. But the facts are things turned out all right. Had I tried something, they might've all gone wrong. We both know that telling him 'no' when he held all the cards just wasn't an option. Had I done that, or you, someone might be dead. And that's definitely not what either of us would want."

The turtle shook his head. "No." _God, no. _

Robin clapped him gently on the shoulder. "Really, I know what it's like to brood like that. I understand that even if I tell you it doesn't do any good, you won't be able to help yourself. But just remember, the more upset you look, the more Starfire's going to make you eat Pudding of Sadness."

Leonardo looked up. "That's an odd way of motivation."

"But a very good one, wouldn't you say? Besides, you really will feel better."

_I always do in the end. _He nodded slowly in agreement.

Two screams could be heard upstairs. Robin smiled. "Excuse me. I really can't miss this."

&&&&&

Raph laughed as he held his baby brother down. "I got you now, shellferbrains!" He looked at the green Titan, who had turned into a cute little cat in the corner he was trapped in. "Perfect. Ready for the Bob Barker treatment, you little hairball?"

Beast Boy turned into a little mouse.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Mikey yelled. "Raph, let me go!"

"No way!"

Soon, an audience approached. Cyborg and Don came, their hands covered in car grease. Starfire came, followed by Raven, then Robin and eventually Leonardo himself.

Raph would have to take delight in the fact that his elder brother wasn't moping later.

"What's goin' on here?" Cy asked.

"I got 'em," Raph grinned. "And now I'm gonna teach them _my_ version of fun."

Beast Boy morphed back into his regular form. "A little help here, guys?"

Don, Robin, and Cyborg immediately started whistling. Raven sat down on the couch and opened her book while Starfire took a seat on the floor.

Mike's mouth dropped open. "What? Oh, c'mon guys! It was just a few pranks!" He looked at their brother. "Leo! We didn't do anything to you. Help!"

Sighing, the ninja looked at the red-banded turtle. "Raph, I think the point of you coming to get me was so _four_ of us would be going back home. Master Splinter is expecting all of his students, I think."

"And he'll get 'em all- one will just be in a body bag."

"Raph…"

He glared at him. Leo knew he wasn't going to seriously harm the two pranksters. But he always did this. It usually saved Mike a few bruises.

Shrugging, Leo walked away. "Sorry, Mikey. I tried."

"What?" The younger turtle cried. "Wait, come back!"

Raph looked at Beast Boy. "I'll be right with you, you grass stain."

Lying on the floor, awaiting his doom, the Titan glared at him. "I resent that."

Grinning, the turtle turned to Mikey, making a fist. This was going to be fun.

"_Ow_!"

&&&&&

"I don't see any turtles with you. So how went that this spectacular plan of yours?" Agent Bishop said sarcastically.

Slade stood before him, one eye void of any emotions. He was not intimidated by this man. "I underestimated my apprentice. It's a mistake I won't make again."

"Obviously," Bishop spoke monotonously. "Considering you no longer have him in your possession. Our agreement is done, Mister Slade. You have two minutes to leave this base."

"Not yet, I don't think," Slade said. "I will retrieve Leonardo. And for the trouble, I have some information I think _you_ might deem interesting."

"We'll see about that. So, what is it you have to tell me?"

&&&&&

I'm evil! EVIL! Haha! Sorry guys, you'll have to wait, though I think you might now. Has to do with four certain someones.

So, what did you think? I incorporated Raven and Robin's stories to tell some more about the Titans, so I hope you enjoyed that. But mainly, that was about getting Leo back to his normal self.

Okay, so one more chappie before action starts up again! Stay tuned!

And please review!


	14. Chapter 14

(waves) Hi, guys! I've returned!

Man, I feel like this is gonna be such a big disappointment. The last chapter was so nice and long, and now we're probably gonna go back to six-eight paged ones. Well, I promise to do my best, if that's any consolation!

Okay, now let's get this baby moving. We are hereby progressing into the second half of the fic. Took a while to figure that out. Major kudos go out to **Spawn Guy**, who reviews this fic at Stealthy Stories, and helped me get the kinks out of my plot! (throws parade in Spawn Guy's honor)

This fic is beta read by the incomparable Sewer Slider, the best beta in the world! And she's a fantastic writer too! Check out her fics! (throws a second parade in Sewer Slider's honor)

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT. Technically, in the sense that they have the rights to my winning art piece on their website featuring my name… I guess they own me. Ain't that somethin'?

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Nursing their wounds, the two green pranksters lay on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. "Think they'll find us in here?" Mikey asked.

Beast Boy shrugged. "Only if they start looking for us in my room," He said.

The ninja looked around. "This is your room? Wow, it's messier than mine."

"Well, yeah. I wear clothes," Beast Boy said, making a pillow out of some of his laundry nearby.

Mikey sighed. "We are _so_ going to get them back," He said. "But not right away. We have to make it big. It's gonna take a lot of planning."

The changeling gave the ceiling a toothy grin at this thought. "Oh yeah. A lot of planning. And we have to make it so they can't come after us for a few hours."

There was a pause. "Laxatives in their ice cream?"

Beast Boy burst out laughing and sat up. "Dude, that's sweet! Think of the line to the bathroom!"

Sitting up as well, Michelangelo smirked deviously. "Provided it's working properly… sometimes the darn thing just won't flush."

Snickering, the green shape-shifter began thinking of the looks on their faces. "I could even rig the alarm to go off when they're all waiting."

"Should we do it before I leave tomorrow morning?" Mike asked. He and his brothers had decided that would be the best time; before the sun was up.

"Nah, let's save it," Beast Boy said. "They'll be expecting something. Next time you come up here, and you better come up here, dude, we'll get them."

The door to BB's room opened and Raph looked in, grinning. "Ah, you two still sulking? I barely even bruised ya."

True, Beast Boy had been beaten far worse in his life. But no matter what animal he turned into, the noogie had hurt. And the rest of his body was still sore from where Raph had sat on him.

Mikey folded his arms. "Speak not to the enemy."

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Hey, if you guys were plannin' anything…" He looked at them warily; "Ya better not try it. You think _that_ was bad- I might just kill you if you do anything else."

"Please Raph," Mikey lied. "Can't two guys just hang out without being accused of plotting revenge?"

Beast Boy watched them go back and forth. Even if they weren't two of the only mutant turtles on the planet, anyone could probably have been able to tell they were brothers. It was just so evident in the way they acted and spoke to each other.

When he was younger, he'd wished he'd had a brother. And, though he'd heard things about them, a sister might've even been nice.

But his mother and father had had only one child. The flood took care of that. He'd been in foster homes, yes, and he'd grown close to them, but he'd always wondered…

The changeling looked back to the turtles and smiled. He'd learnt that that was long in the past. The Titans were a lot like his family now.

And his friends.

&&&&&

"Look who finally came out of hidin'," Raphael said, walking back into the room with Beast Boy and Michelangelo. "Hold your tomatoes and projectile weapons- they ain't armed."

Raven didn't bother to look up from her book. "I'm so relieved."

Mikey flopped down on the couch. "Ugh. Pranking makes me hungry. Did anyone make lunch?"

It was almost as if nine stomachs had simultaneously growled at the same moment.

Raven frowned. Did herbal tea count?

Beast Boy, who was also on the couch, sat up. "You mean it's four o'clock and no one here's eaten yet?"

Cyborg sat up. "I'll go get some pizza. You wanna come, Don?"

The purple-banded turtle got to his feet. "Sure."

Raven watched as Starfire moved speedily into the air. "I must make a brief journey to the mall of shopping," She said cheerfully. "I will return soon."

That was surprising. No invite? Raven almost grinned.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy said. "Hey, Michelangelo, you like video games, right?"

"Are you kidding? I've only made a career out of them!"

She almost grinned. Instead, Raven moaned and got herself into her room.

&&&&&

**Jump City Mall**

The alien girl went from one store to another in the large mall, searching for the perfect gifts to give her new friends.

At first, she thought they may have liked sweaters, for those were always a thoughtful gift. But then she recalled they didn't really wear clothes, which was rather strange, since they were cold-blooded and could surely use the warmth.

After passing a bookstore, Starfire found a gift for Donatello. It was a study on quantum mechanics, a subject she considered worthy of the turtle's interest.

A video game was purchased for Michelangelo. The Titan had heard his and Beast Boy's game as she was leaving. He would surely enjoy this.

For Raphael, she found the model of a very nice looking motorcycle. The red-clad ninja had once briefly mentioned to her that he took pleasure in motorcycles.

There was a pretty painting of a moonlit river beside a weeping willow that she found too. Starfire decided that this was fitting for Leonardo and bought it.

Ready to return to the Tower, she took her bags and headed for the nearest exit.

As she was passing the food court, she suddenly felt an extra weight added to one of the bags.

"Huh?" Stopping where she was, she began to search but couldn't find it. Realizing she was holding up people behind her, she moved over to some empty tables and placed her bags there.

She found it with the model of the motorcycle. Starfire pulled the metal object out and looked at it carefully. It was shaped like an apple, with a long, narrow slit in the center that held two photographs.

The first shocked her. It was one of the corridors inside Titans Tower.

The second one was of a large weapon, similar to that of a cannon. But she'd never seen this design before.

Her fists balling up, the Titan flew into the air, searching for the culprit. Certainly this fiend could be spotted clearly, but there was no one but shoppers going along their way.

This person should've been easy to find, so he was surely gone. In all honesty, it was _much _easier to spot the alien girl floating above everyone's heads.

Cheeks turning red, Star moved back to the ground, hoping she hadn't too badly startled anyone. She took the apple into her hand.

What did it mean?

&&&&&

**Titans Tower Obstacle Course**

Raph looked the course over with interest as Robin led him and Leo down to it. The thing was only about as big as a football field. He wondered what it could do.

He nudged his brother with his elbow. "Feelin' any better?"

Leo nodded. "I'm all right."

The turtle paused. Yeah, Leo sounded better than he had earlier, but Raph wouldn't call it 'all right'. "You were up on that roof for a while."

"I'll be okay, Raph. Don't worry," Leo said.

Sighing, Raphael finally nodded and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "All right."

Ahead of them, Robin stopped at what looked like a control unit. "This is our obstacle unit," He said. "I've already had my run through it today, but I thought the two of you might like a go at it. You start there," He pointed to one spot, then another; "And end there. Obviously, in between are the obstacles- rocks, lasers, etc. You're timed too- Beast Boy and Cyborg treat it like a competition, but it's really only just to beat your own personal best. There's no score." He looked them over. "So you guys wanna try?"

They both nodded. "Sure," Raph said.

Robin had him go first. As he walked over, the Titan set up the track.

When the sound to start came, he was ready. He set off with a burst of speed.

Some small guns rose out of the ground. Here were the lasers. Serpentining, he dodged them. Practice fighting Triceratons was finally paying off.

As he got closer, it became harder. Jumping into the air, he flipped over them. There was a large metal wall with an entrance in the center of it, snapping open and shut. Timing it just right, Raph made it through.

He was greeted by hurtling rocks on the other side. "Whoa!" Raph shouted, avoiding one. He broke several with his sais when they came at him, but made it through.

In the next path, sections of the walls would suddenly fly out and press to the opposite side, thereby squishing anything that might've been in it's way. Watching it, Raphael timed it before running through, somersaulting at the final section when he was nearly hit.

It looked like he was home clear now, but there had to be a booby trap. There just had to.

And sure enough, as he ran to meet the finish line, the ground opened. Leaping diagonally, Raph found his feet on the earth and continued running all the way across the finish line.

Stopping, he panted a bit before heading back over to Leo and Robin. Grinning, he pointed with his thumb back at the course. "Leo, we have _got _to get one of those."

His brother just smiled.

"Four minutes and eight seconds," Robin said. "Well done. Leo, you want to take a turn?"

"Sure," The blue-banded turtle said, moving over to the starting point.

He started just as fast, moving like water- so focused.

Raph frowned. This was why Slade had wanted him.

That feeling soon passed and he wound up grinning. Leo had finished pretty good himself.

"Three minutes and fifty-three seconds," Robin told him when the ninja came back.

If the times for the Titans on the side of this console were to be trusted, Leo had in fact done five seconds better than Robin himself had.

The Boy Wonder saw that Raph had noticed this. He reset the course and walked to it.

Smiling, Raph clued Leo into what had happened. The elder turtle turned. "Hey, I thought you said there were no scores?"

"But that was before my record was beaten," Robin joked good-naturedly, getting ready to start.

However, a different sound came out of nowhere. "Hello?" A man's voice asked. "Someone out here?"

The two ninjas quickly hid while Robin came up the path.

From their position, they could see it was a mailman. He smiled upon seeing Robin. "Ah! Good afternoon! I have a package for you. It wouldn't quite fit into your box, so I thought I'd bring it to you."

Robin took the package. "Thanks." He was about to turn, but examined it. "Uh, who's it from? There's no return to sender address."

The man shrugged. "Sorry, we get those all the time. I'm just the mailman."

Waving, Robin walked back down. By the time he was at the console, the turtles were back out.

Robin had the package open by then. "What the…?"

Inside was a large, metal apple with two pictures sticking up out of it. The leader of the Titans took them out and examined them.

The first was from inside the Tower- the living room.

The second was a large weapon, red-hot.

&&&&&

**Somewhere in Jump City**

Looking out the car window cautiously, Don hoped that anyone that saw the T-Car cruising down the street would mistake the green figure riding shotgun for Beast Boy. Not that he _wanted_ to be mistaken as Beast Boy. But it was better then seeing his face plastered on the news.

Cyborg had assured him that he wouldn't be seen. Apparently, the glass windows in the T-Car were tinted, much like in the Battle Shell. Still, he _was_ a ninja.

"Relax, man," Cy said. "Even _if_ someone sees ya, and it ain't gonna happen, you're with a Teen Titan. In case you haven't noticed, we aren't exactly normal. But Jump City accepts us."

"Maybe, but I doubt they'd accept me."

Shrugging, Cy made a left turn. "True. You must've heard about the last green freak they let in here," He joked.

Don shook his head and smiled. "So how many pizzas are we picking up?"

"Oh, I don't know. There are nine of us, so I'd guess about… seven. Or twelve. Wait, probably more like fifteen- BB's a vegetarian and Starfire likes mint crème and mustard on hers."

If it were possible, the turtle turned more green than usual. "Huh?"

"Yeah, it's a long story. Just don't ask."

It was only when they reached the pizza place did Don think about the number. _Fifteen? _He thought of his brothers. _What will be left for the guys _buying_ the pizza?_

He sat in the car as the Titan went in and ordered. In twenty minutes, the teen came back with exactly fifteen pizzas and a few liters of coke, carrying them like feathers. He opened the car and after setting down the soda, handed Donny a few boxes. "There you go. Now don't you dare get them on my seats," He warned.

The aromas of cheeses and meats, veggies and sauces assaulted Don's nostrils. He took a deep breath. "This is great. That wasn't very long- they made all these so quickly?"

"Some. We usually come here for lunch, so a few of our regulars are already done when we get here. But they hurry." Grinning, Cy patted the boxes. "We're _very _good customers."

An object the size of a large rock came out of nowhere, bouncing atop the hood of the car and rolling.

The top halves of the stacks of pizza suddenly separated and flew into the windshield as Cyborg hit the brake. Donatello felt the harsh tug of his seat belt over his shoulder.

The car was a mess now, inside and out. The mechanical teen looked at his 'baby' for a moment in shock before the organic half of his face turned red. "I _just_ detailed her this morning!" Pulling some cheese pizza off himself, he glanced at Don. "You all right?"

The turtle nodded. "I'm fine. What happened?"

"I have no idea, but if I find the punk who did it, he'll be wishing he were _under_ this baby's tires."

Getting out of the car, the Titan inspected the damage, cursing as he did so. It had left a dent in the hood. He looked around for the culprit, but the person seemed to be out of sight.

While Cy was gone, Don cleaned up a little in the T-Car. The mess wasn't half as bad as it looked- nothing that couldn't be fixed easily. Most of the pizzas had managed to stay in their boxes.

Cleaning the windshield would be cumbersome, but Don was more than willing to help out. He liked working with Cyborg. He just hoped they'd be able to get back to the Tower all right.

When Cyborg got back into the car, he had a completely different look on his face. One of bafflement- it was far more serious.

"What is it?" Don asked him.

"I didn't find the guy," Cy started out, "But I found what he threw. It's kinda weird. Here, you take a look at it."

Taking the object in his hands, Don looked it over. _An apple?_ That's what it looked like. It wasn't the actual fruit though- it'd been sculpted out of metal, with a slit in the center. Like a napkin holder, perhaps.

There was something in the slit, too. Carefully, Donny pried it out of the oversized apple as Cyborg started the car.

It was two pictures. The first was of the interior of Titans Tower- the kitchen, it seemed. The second was a strange machine; if Donny were to take a guess, judging from the design, he'd say it were a weapon.

It looked a lot like Utrom technology.

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

The three apples sat on the counter, the two pictures each had contained were lain out before each one.

Leo frowned, looking at the pictures. Not in a single shot was there a person in them, but you could tell when they'd been taken. This very day.

They were recent. The one Star had brought in wasn't as revealing, being no more than a shot of the hallway. But the one of the kitchen showed the two cups of tea Raven had made several hours ago; Leo could tell from the cups. The one he and Robin had found was probably the most revealing- in the living room, the sleeping bags they'd used the night before were still visible, shoved out of the way. And if that weren't proof enough, Don's bo staff, which he'd been cleaning peanut butter off of, was.

"How the hell could someone even get these pictures?" Raph asked, looking them over. "We didn't see anyone in the Tower today."

"No one was here but us," Cyborg said. "I checked my security."

Don was paying more attention to the shots of the weapons. "_We've_ gotten past your security, though. It's possible."

Leo held one up. "See the angle of the shots?"

Robin nodded- the turtle could tell he was following the same line of thought. "They were all taken from above, looking down." They were in the kitchen, so he easily found the area where the image was taken- and the corner of the room where a small video camera was nested. "Either our guy can crawl on the ceiling, or he was using our cameras to take these."

Putting his hand by his sai, Raph glanced at the camera. "Hey, does that mean they can watch us right now?"

Shaking his head, Cyborg explained it to him. "I've installed a program in it. You can only get one still shot a room every twenty minutes. The only reason why I even have it is in case we're gone or can't get to a certain part of the Tower and we need to see if somebody's come over for a party. But besides us, I don't know who else could get the access codes."

Working with Slade, Leo recalled that wasn't always as hard as it seemed.

"Nevertheless," Raven said monotonously, "I think we should deactivate that program for the time being."

"I agree," Robin said. "Cyborg, how fast can it be taken care of?"

The mechanical Titan grinned. "Already done." He took his hand out of a control unit in the wall.

Starfire picked up a separate photograph. "But what of these weapons? I have never seen the likeness of these before, and I fail to see how they relate to us."

Pointing to one of them, Don straightened his posture. "This one looks like Utrom technology- er, they're some aliens we've met before. Very peaceful. Anyways, in this spot here resembles some of the mechanical designs they use. And in this one," He pointed to the picture Starfire held, "Has a minor Triceraton characteristic. But that doesn't really mean anything- street gangs even have Triceraton weapons now."

Eye ridges wrinkling together, Leo nodded. "Slade even had some modified Triceraton blasters for me to use," He said.

Don nodded, smiling reassuringly at him before getting back on topic. "Other than that, even though I've never seen anything like this stuff, everything else looks, dare I say, normal." He paused. "Like heavy artillery, 'we're all going to be blown to smithereens' normal, anyway."

Beast Boy sweat dropped. "Oh, thanks for the lovely mental image. You couldn't have phrased it any different?" He looked at the pictures. "Why do the bad guys always have to have some sort of doomsday device? It sucks!"

"And it's not very creative," Mikey put in.

Raph smacked him upside the head. "All right, so we know these things are bad. Now where the hell are they?" He asked, still fingering his sais. So like Raph- itching for a fight.

Throwing one of the apples in the air, Robin caught it as it came down. "The Big Apple?" It was a statement, not a question.

Leo nodded. "New York."

&&&&&

All done! Thew! Can you believe this chapter was harder to write than the last one?

Well, I'm afraid that's all for now. I must go on a brief hiatus for this story. My second fanfic anniversary is coming up, and I must prepare the Anniversary Fic. Plus, it'll give me more time to think.

But I hope you liked! And please review!


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry for the long hiatus, guys! I honestly didn't expect it to have been that long, but a lot happened, so it ended up that way. Once again, I apologize profusely.

Well, I suppose I better get this story back on track. You guys have waited long enough.

We're now moving into the second half of the story. The plot will slowly get into focus here, but this chapter is more of a filler. I'm sorry. I'm really trying, honestly.

Please enjoy!

Beta read by the fabulous Sewer Slider, who goes the extra mile to help me with these fics! Go read her fics! They're excellent!

Disclaimer: I still don't own the TMNT… though I wish even more so that I did. Damn, that movie was awesome!

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

Slowly ticking away, the hands on the clock were spread vertically, calling the time. Six o'clock. Outside, easily viewed from the height of the Tower, the sun was still in the sky and had just barely begun to tint the clouds around it with soft orange and yellow hues.

Raph took a slice of the pizza that had survived the trip home in Cyborg's car and leaned against the wall as he ate it. All nine of them were in the kitchen, eating the lunch that had just become dinner. "You guys ever been to New York?"

Sitting on a chair, Beast Boy weaved a long piece of cheese into his mouth. "Well, yeah. But it's not like we go there all the time. Just every once in a while, you know? The JL kinda handles most of the stuff that goes on down there."

Robin nodded in agreement. "Especially for Batman- Gotham is his neck of the woods," He said, using the other name the city was known by. "Used to be mine too, but I've been in Jump City for a long while, now."

Further inspecting the photographs of the weapons, Leo looked up. "So then why would they send these to you?" He asked, voicing one of the main factors in this mystery. There had to be _some_ form of connection.

"Probably someone who wants to get our attention- someone who wants us in New York," Cyborg said, washing up some of the dishes.

Holding one of the metal apples in her hands, Raven added, "More than likely, someone who's setting a trap. One we're not going to fall for." 

Finishing his slice, Raph crossed his arms. That's exactly what he, and he was sure his brothers, had been thinking.

Starfire took one of the photos from Leonardo. "But these weapons still present a most serious dilemma," She acknowledged, turning to face Donatello. "You seem more familiar with these machines- can you conjecture how hazardous they could be?"

"_Any_ weapon is threatening," Don told her; "But I have to admit, all the ones that I've seen that have something to do with alien technology always seem a bit more dangerous. The Utroms, while peaceful, are very advanced. And the Triceratons come from a war-like home world; trust me, we've been there. By looking at them, I may not be able to tell you what they can do, but whatever it is, it's not going to be good."

Mikey raised his hand. "Can we move?" He asked his brothers.

Looking at him, Leo gave a shake of his head.

Rubbing his chin, Robin put his arm down and looked at the four brothers. "Just how much of New York do you guys see?" He asked, clearly reminded that that was indeed where the turtles lived.

Raph shrugged. "Quite a bit. Great thing about the place, no one looks up so no one sees a bunch of turtles runnin' across the rooftops at night."

Coming closer, the Boy Wonder tapped his fingers on the table. "Do you think you guys could do us a favor?"

Nodding, Leo set the pictures aside. "Of course," He said solemnly, and Raph could almost see the memories of what had happened recently reflected in his eyes. 

"Since, like Raven said, this is probably a trap, I'm not too eager to jump into it just yet. But these weapons are too dangerous to be overlooked. Would it be possible for the four of you, when you return home, to keep an eye out for anything strange? Report it to us, in the case that it really is what it appears to be?" 

Leaping to his feet, Mikey saluted. "Terrapin detectives at your service! We'll get to the bottom of this, and trust me, that shouldn't be too hard. You can't get much more to the bottom than the sewers!" He joked.

Grabbing another slice of pizza, Raph smacked him upside the head.

&&&&&

With a wet rag, Don cleaned up the inside of Cyborg's car, wiping the cheese and sauce stains off of the dash and getting as much of it as he could off the seats while Cyborg fixed the dent on the hood of the automobile.

Sitting back in one of the seats, so as to rest his sore knees, Don relaxed for a few seconds. He breathed in; well, the smell was gone anyway. That was a major improvement.

Pleased, he opened the car door and stepped out. "Better, I hope."

Cy nodded in agreement. "Much. Thanks- you didn't have to help."

"It was the least I could do," The purple-clad turtle informed him. "Besides, I like working on it."

Grinning, the mechanical teen sat down on some boxes and grabbed two cans of soda, handing the second one to Don. Taking it, the turtle nodded his thanks and sat down, sipping on the cola.

"So," Cy began, "You guys leavin' in the morning, right?"

Donny took a drink before answering. "Yeah. But I guess we'll be in touch then, huh?"

"Exactly. Hell, we'll probably be seeing each other again pretty soon, if this thing turns out to be serious. Don't worry, I'll bring a leash for Beast Boy."

Laughing, Don recalled the pranks the changeling and his brother had played on them just this morning. "And we'll keep Mikey in a padded cell. Can't let the devious duo have too much contact, ya know."

Cyborg chuckled checked the time. "Well, I guess we better head to bed, then." Pausing, he looked at his car, seemingly debating something in his head. "Ah, ya can't be that bad of a driver," He reasoned, standing on his feet. "C'mon."

"Huh?" Don put his soda down and stood. "What are you talkin' about?"

The Titan tapped his car with his metal knuckles. "Ya wanna take her for a spin?" 

Donny's tongue nearly rolled out of his mouth. "Yeah- really?"

Again, Cyborg appeared to be thinking over his decision. "Yeah… why not? But I warn you," He said, climbing into the passenger's side. "You scratch her or dent her or blow her up- I'll be taking the payment out of your green hide. You'll be slave labor- I mean it!"

Grinning, Don climbed into the seat. "Don't worry," He said, with a look that certainly didn't ease the other teen's fears. "I won't. Now let's see how fast she can go…"

&&&&&

The laxative plan had been ditched. Any superior prank would have to be one of supreme creativity- especially with their talent. Mikey smirked evilly, thinking of what his brothers would look like when he and Beast Boy had their revenge.

He could see the plan perfectly in his mind. Now all there was left was working it out, and performing their masterpiece.

"Okay," Beast Boy said, "So I'll bring the toilet paper and the glue, and you're gonna supply the plastic wrap and the chicken noodle soup, right?"

Mikey nodded. "Right. And we'll have the boat for the escape to Panama when we're done?"

Laughing, BB wrote down a few things. "Man, we'll probably need that, won't we? But I don't know if even we can pull that off, dude. But an escape plan is definitely a must. We'll have to lie low to avoid the wrath of the Titans and your brothers."

"We'll have to be in hiding for like a year. And constantly move. Raph'll hunt us down if we don't." 

"Ah, no worries. I'll think of something. We have some time." The green changeling hid some of the papers under his mattress. "So, when exactly are you guys heading home?"

Lying on the floor, the orange-clad ninja put his hands under his head. "I think Leo wants to leave pretty early. Around six or so. Ya know- to avoid as many people as we can in the daylight back in New York." 

"So you're making me wake up _that_ early just to say goodbye to you?" The Titan joked. "I think I'll just write you a letter, or something."

Mike rolled his eyes. "Oh, thanks a lot. I think maybe I should include you in the prank." 

Stiffening, Beast Boy eyed him. "You wouldn't."

The turtle grinned. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. I still got some other plans going on up here," He said mischievously.

"Well, so do I."

They were silent for a moment, thinking of what they could possibly be facing were they to go against each other. The images were frightening.

Then, Mike stuck out a green hand. "Truce?"

The other teen nodded and shook the hand. "Truce."

&&&&&

Robin was surprised by how good they were. He shouldn't have been, but he still was.

For the heck of it, he'd chosen to spar with Leo and Raph. When the two brothers fought one on one against themselves, they were equally matched. Of the four times they did so, each won twice. When Robin fought Raph, he found himself victorious three times out of five, and when he'd fought Leo, two out of five. 

Now, Leo and Raph were sparring each other once again while Robin watched, drinking out of a water bottle.

Raph won. 

Sheathing their weapons, the two sat down. "So, you guys do that often?"

Leonardo nodded. "Yeah. It's a good exercise."

"Plus I like to kick Leo's butt," Raph said.

The blue-clad turtle looked at Robin. "You're pretty good. But I kinda already knew that," He said, recalling their fights when he'd worked for Slade.

Robin nodded in agreement. "I was thinking the same thing about you two. Do Mikey and Don fight as well as that? I only got to see so much."

"Yeah, they're good. Just don't let Mikey talk to ya while you're fighting," Raph said the last line through gritted teeth.

Leo gave him a look that said 'Don't ask'.

Smiling, Robin didn't. But he did have a sudden idea in mind…

&&&&&

Okay, I know that was extremely short, and I'm very, very sorry. The next one will be longer. I promise.

Please review!


	16. Chapter 16

(comes in with head bowed) I know. Smack me if you need to- two months is inexcusable. (cries)

Okay, I'm gonna try real hard to get back to work on this one. You'll probably have to suffer one more long hiatus at some point, but after that, I'll be back on the ball! But no worries, that won't be for a while.

So… I better get to work than, huh? I apologize in advance that this will be short- but please enjoy!

Beta read by the superb scribe- Sewer Slider herself! Go check out her fics!

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT- though I'm surely their biggest fan in the state of Idaho, at the very least.

&&&&&

**Titans Tower**

"Are you _sure_ that wasn't a scratch?" Cyborg asked for the hundredth time since they had come back last night. As he came outside of the Tower, Don forced back his snicker. The robotic teen walked with him, his concern for the T-Car overflowing like a dam that had burst. "Because it didn't look like my work; I don't think it was there before." He raised a finger. "And you came pretty close to that stop sign on that one turn."

The turtle stopped by the water, which reflected the light yellows and deep blue of the early morning sky across its shifting surface. "I didn't hit the sign," He assured the Titan; "Though it _might've _been that mailbox…"

"You crashed my baby into a _mailbox_?" Cyborg shrieked. "When did _that_ happen? Was it when we picked up the milkshakes?" He shook his head. "Oh, I knew I shouldn't have let you take that detour, but my-"

Now Don couldn't hold his laughter back any longer. "Cyborg, relax! It was a joke;

I promise that she's just as spotless as the day you assembled her," The turtle swore.

Staring at him, the older teen took a few deep breaths before letting out a long one. "Man, that wasn't even funny. Didn't I condemn you to slave labor if the T-Car got damaged? I was about to bring out the ball and chain!"

Don laughed again before paling. "Wait… you don't really have leg irons, do you?"

Now it was Cy's turn to grin. "You can ask me that question again the next time you take my baby out for a ride."

"Can I drive it?" Mikey asked, suddenly coming out from behind the titan's metal frame. In the distance behind him Don could see his other two brothers and three of the other Titans coming along.

"Ah, hell no," Cy replied, turning halfway to see him. "Are you even old enough to drive?"

"I'm the same age as Don- you let him drive," Mike pointed out, raising his hands as if to say 'you've-dug-your-own-grave'.

"Hey, I wouldn't even let the Queen of England drive my car if I got the feeling that she might crash my baby into a wall," Cyborg clarified. "And who was the one who wrecked her sound system?" Mike's hand shot up proudly in the air. "That's what I thought. And who was the guy who helped me fix her up and clean her inside and out?"

"Oh, that was… Don," Mikey responded, realizing that he too had dug his own grave. And of course sealed himself in his coffin. Donny grinned at him.

Cy nodded. "That's right. I don't loan her out to the first guy I see- the T-Car is a finely tuned instrument of precision and speed and the most impressive weapons you'll see in a vehicle." He folded his arms and smiled. "She ain't a toy- she's my baby."

Overhead, a green crow cawed as it flew towards them. Reaching Michelangelo, its shape began to transform until the appearance of Beast Boy was clear. The Titan's two feet hit the ground and he yawned. "Sorry- bird talk. What I said was: If you love it so much, why don't you marry it, dude?"

The other superhero rolled his organic eye. "Please- even _you_ could come up with something better than that."

Behind them, the others had arrived. Raven's hood was drawn up over her head. "That's giving Beast Boy a lot of credit, don't you think?" She spoke in her monotonous voice as Don's brothers laughed and moved over to the sub.

"Hey!" The green teen shouted.

Any more words from him were quickly lost. Flying two feet off of the ground, Starfire zoomed past him and hovered in front of the turtles. In her long arms, she was carrying various packages; and the smile that lit her face was so wide that Don feared it would break it in half. "I have ascertained that it is often customary to bestow gifts concealed in decorated paper upon one's friends when they depart." She happily put one package in each of their hands before letting her feet touch the ground. "Enjoy!"

Mikey's eyes widened considerably as he ran his fingers over the fine green wrapping paper. "Awesome!" He shouted, sitting down with the gift in his hands, set to open it up. "But we didn't get you anything."

"Yeah we did," Raph joked. "We decided to take you home with us after all and give these guys a break."

Cyborg laughed. "I like that one."

Sticking his tongue out at them, Mike turned his attention back to his gift. In seconds the paper had dissolved and the present was visible. "Sweet!" His brother yelled and as he held it up, Don could make out the video game. Something about monkeys. The orange-clad turtle's fingers vibrated as if he were itching to put it into a gaming system and play it this very second. He leapt to his feet and hugged Starfire. "_Thank you_!"

She giggled. "You are most welcome, friend," She replied, returning the hug.

Aware now that it was intended for them to open the packages before they left, the others began to open their gifts. Raph was near as messy as Mike and thus had his opened the fastest. He grinned broadly at the model of the motorcycle and thanked her- without the hug of course.

With his open, Don found a book on quantum physics and was relieved that this was a subject he had yet to read. He'd wanted to, of course, but between calculus and string theory, he hadn't had much time. Smiling, he thanked the Titan.

Leo's gift was a painting and he seemed pleased with it. Standing at his feet, he bowed in gratitude. "Thank you," He said, standing straight again. "For everything. Really, you guys have done more than you needed to."

Cyborg waved a metal hand, serious now. "Not a problem, man."

But the look on his brother's face made it clear just how much he appreciated what they had done. And though maybe Leo wasn't entirely aware of it, Don could see that the Teen Titans knew this.

Robin took out something. "One more thing before you go." In his hand were four yellow devices. Donny had seen them earlier; Cy had told the that they were Titan Communicators.

As he held them there, it soon became apparent that they were supposed to take them.

With each one of them holding one of the devices, Robin put his hand down and folded his arms over his chest. "I've seen the way the four of you fight and after talking about it with the team, we've come to a decision. Consider yourselves Honorary Teen Titans."

Mikey's eyes nearly bugged out. "Serious?"

His brother clutched at the Communicator and Don feared he would break it. "Take deep breaths, Michelangelo," He told him.

Beast Boy laughed. "Welcome to the jungle!"

Her face placid, Raven looked at them. "We'll need to be in contact with you regarding the weapons and your search over Gotham. The Communicators are fairly simple to use." Taking out her own, she showed them the functions.

Soon enough, it was time to go. One by one, they loaded into the sub, Donatello filing in last. He hesitated going in and looked at Cyborg. "You know… being declared a Teen Titan is a big honor," He stated.

Cy nodded. "Biggest one I've gotten."

Don wiggled his toes. "I think it'd be worthy of another go at the wheel behind the T-Car."

The Titan shoved him gently into the sub. "It won't be if I find a scratch on her," He grinned as he closed the hatch.

&&&&&

**TMNT Lair**

Dashing ahead, his two youngest brothers disappeared into the walls and the safety of their home. It seemed like an eternity since Leonardo had seen the lair. Sure, it had had merely been a matter of days but considering how much time he spent here, each hour apart from his home had felt like a year and every minute from his family a decade. As he entered into the confines of the sewer-bound sanctuary, the turtle understood that those figures didn't quite add up correctly as far as mathematics went, but he wasn't a genius like Donatello so what did it matter?

His feet lovingly caressed the stone floor without a single movement and everything, in that single moment, started to feel right again. Leo looked upon his home and grinned. Funny- though he couldn't tell for sure, nothing looked out of place. Not Mikey's skateboard on the counter in the kitchen, nor the strewn papers amongst the empty boxes of pizza in Don's lab; everything from the spotless dojo and Raph's punching bag to the den with its rescued-from-the-dumpsters-and-fixed-up furniture was absolutely perfect. He couldn't help but grin as he took it all in.

He was broken out of his spell by a light slap on the shell. He turned to look at Raphael, who smirked at him. "Admiring our housekeeping skills?"

Leo wrinkled his beak. "If you call that a skill I suggest you keep your day job," He joked. "No, I was just thinking that nothing's changed. It's… nice," He finished.

His brother looked at him seriously. "You were gone, bro, but it wasn't for a lifetime. Not that much can change in so many days."

"You sure about that?" Leo asked him.

Before he could answer, there was a tapping of a cane. Looking away from his sibling, the ninja turned to find his master and father, a sight far more familiar and comfortable than home. The old rat smiled gently upon seeing him before hurrying over, Leo helping by closing the distance. His Sensei wrapped his arms around him. "My son."

The young ninja opened his mouth to respond but found no words would come. Closing it, he simply returned his father's embrace.

"It is good to have you back home, Leonardo," Master Splinter told him.

Leo chuckled. "I was just telling Raph the same thing, Master," He told him, silently grateful that the old rat did not ask any questions about what had happened. It was not all-together horrible, but it was not something he wished to speak about just yet. Besides, he knew all too well that those inquiries would come sooner than he wished them to.

He was surprised to feel another pair of arms join the hug- Michelangelo's, no doubt. Craning his neck gently, Leo confirmed his suspicions upon seeing the color of his youngest brother's arms. An olive shade soon joined them as Donatello couldn't resist. Mikey sniffed playfully. "Come on, Raphy- before you hurt Leo's feelings."

"Yeah right," Leo laughed.

Raph's voice was as gruff as ever behind him. "Don't call me 'Raphy'."

But it wasn't even sixty seconds later that the ninja in blue felt the remaining brother's arms wind around his shell and then Splinter's left arm, his other hand stopping on Don's shoulder, every piece of him avoiding Mikey for the time-being. And though, as they'd gotten older and refrained from such displays of affection among each other in years past, Leo decided that this too was right.

If anything, it was the most natural feeling of them all.

&&&&&

**Somewhere in Jump City**

"Agent Bishop," Slade addressed his new partner as the man walked into the room. The man kept his back turned as he spoke but he was well aware of the movements of the government agent behind him. "You're early. If I could find nothing to respect about you, I'd still have to admire your timeliness."

Bishop did not respond to the compliment. "It has been a month now. Have you set the plan into motion?"

Slade exhaled quietly. "Of course I have. You saw so for yourself before you left here."

"You merely planted the seeds, Mister Slade," Bishop said, adjusting the sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"And seeds need time to sprout," Slade reprimanded him, turning his head. "But rest assured- we're now starting to yield some green."

"My sources tell me that the Titans have remained in Jump City and there have been no plans thus far to visit New York," The man informed him.

"Have you ever considered going to catch your prey instead of waiting for them to come to you?" Slade asked him. He was a hunter by nature- a hunter of men with a refined sense of taste.

Bishop straightened his tie. "An unwise policy when the prey is very familiar with the hunting grounds. I prefer to have the upper hand at all times. How soon do you figure it until the Titans react to the information they've gotten hold of?"

"Oh, they already have. But Robin is smart enough to recognize danger when he sees it. They're waiting for a threat and their guard is down now- it's the perfect time to strike," The one-eyed man spoke.

A dark grin cut open the lower half of the other's face. "I'll give the word."

&&&&&

**New York City**

It'd been a good month since they had left Titans Tower, but Mikey kept in communication with Beast Boy at least twice a week. Typically the conversations started out with updates on crime activity in both cities before moving on to casual conversation which consisted of anything from video games to cooking… but which usually ended in plans for The Ultimate Prank.

Lying upside-down on his bed, Mike spoke into his Communicator. He loved the thing- it made him feel like a real superhero… only equipped with a cell phone that he'd never get a bill for. Not that he'd get billed for the Shell Cell- but who wanted to talk to Raph?

The thing was great. Each Communicator had its own separate frequency and to talk to someone, all you needed to do was call that frequency in. It was like a phone number.

"I don't know," The turtle said. "Do we _have_ to use Silly Putty? I mean, can't we find something different?"

The voice on the other end paused for a while. _"Well what would you use?" _Beast Boy asked.

"Tricky question," Mike would give him that. "How about that tofu junk you use? That has potential."

"_Dude! I eat that! I'm not wasting food!"_

"Duh- I never said it was food," He joked.

There was a scream on the other end. _"As soon as I see your stinking face I'm gonna T-Rex slam it into the next country!"_

"I was kidding!" Mike defended himself. "It's better than Starfire's cooking," He offered.

Beast Boy laughed. _"My food's worthy of five-star appraisal, but I think sludge might be better than some of the stuff she makes us eat."_

"Ouch. That's harsh."

"_Not really- I swear that's what we had last night." _The Titan joked good-naturedly.

There was a yell from downstairs. "Mikey, let's go!" Raph said.

"Okay! Coming!" He shouted back. "Sorry, dude. Gotta go."

_"All right. Me too,"_ The green shape-shifter explained. _"Later,"_ The screen cleared. Quickly flipping back around, Mike stuffed the Communicator besides his Shell Cell in his belt.

Soon, he was alongside his brothers outside of the sewers, up across the rooftops of the city. It was a fact that never ceased to amaze the ninja in orange; they lived in the lowest parts of their world but when they came out, they traveled along its tallest buildings.

Don reached the end of one rooftop. "So where will be looking today?" He asked. "I thought we might want to check out the warehouse district; does anyone else have any ideas?"

"Sounds good to me," Leo said.

Raph folded his arms and stood on the edge of the building, alley side. "I don't see why we have to look anywhere. We've been out patrollin' this town for a month and seen nothin' out of the ordinary. Why are we still doing this?"

"_Because_, Raph," Leo spoke, "It's still a very real threat. And we promised- we owe it to the Titans." When no one spoke, he continued. "So let's go- warehouse district it is. And everything else on the way."

"Leo," Raph tried to reason with him in that way of his; "We've _been _there before. We check out that place more than any other."

"It doesn't hurt to be thorough," Leo told him, already setting off.

With a growl, Raph followed, the others close after him. Mikey leaped and landed soundly on the next roof. "It sure hurts my feet some. Why'd you have to pick a place that's so far out, Don?"

"There's a lot of criminal activity down there," The purple-banded ninja reasoned. "And… it's rather close to the junkyard."

Raph glared at him. "Remind me to tackle you when we get home."

They all came to a sudden halt when Leo stuck his hand out, his pause so sudden that no one had noticed it. If it weren't for that motion, they all probably would've collided into him.

"What is it?" Don asked.

Leo pointed at an area in the darkness with his chin. They weren't quite yet at the warehouse district yet but there were some abandoned apartments across the street. In one empty and disfigured room a tower of red lights glowed through the glass. So soft was its radiance that it took Mike several seconds to notice it.

"Just some kids playing with flashlights?" Raph took a wild guess.

Leo watched the tower closely. "I think we should check it out," He was already stepping over the safe borders of their rooftop and traveling on its edge. "Raph, Don- you stay here. Mikey, I want you to come with me," He said, hopping across the thin street to the other side, giving the youngest sibling no time for complaints.

Mike dropped his hands to his sides. "That's so unfair." Rubbing his palms together, he began to mimic his elder brother's moves and soon he too was on the other side. Leo grinned at him and together they climbed up, their fingers groping at the once decorative features of the apartments that now served as their hand-holds.

They peeked their heads up, allowing their eyes to view the interior of the room through the filthy glass. In the murk, shadowy figures could be seen. Hopefully, if they too could be seen, that was how they would appear.

Unlike sight, hearing was not impaired. Mike listened to a voice speak. "I want the device set to minimum power. The slightest mistake could prove fatal."

The turtle blinked and looked at his brother. "Is that Stockman?"

Leo hushed him and watched the shadows. It was funny, the glowing tower looked vaguely familiar. But it wasn't until it began to turn onto its side and take the form of a cannon did Mike recognize it to be one of the weapons in the pictures from Titans Tower.

Something large was set in front of the cannon. It had the shape of a human but in the glow of the light appeared to have metallic qualities. A robot? A fancy statue? Whatever it was, it was completely still. As soon as it was stable, the man who had carried it backed away and behind the cannon. Stockman gave the word to fire.

A beam of red light, no thicker than the width of a piece of pencil led, shot at the statue. The light was so bright that Mikey could barely stand it. When he was able to open his eyes, the entire figure was bright red and pulsating.

And in a flash, it and the small section of wooden floor it had been standing on had completely dissipated.

&&&&&

Not as short as I feared. Cool. (grins widely)

So… I hope you enjoyed the chappie! I won't have many updates for a while- I'm going on vacation for about two weeks now. For any of you who enjoy my other works, hopefully when I return I will have an update for both Infection _and_ Cork.

So please review! Thanks for reading!


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